Final War Evangelion
by B.C. Sealey
Summary: Chapter 3! Home can be wherever we want it to be. A place of love, solace and security from the pain of life. However, there are times in everyone's life when we must open the door and walk outside to face the world. For Shinji, that time is now.
1. Disclaimer

Disclaimer: I don't own Neon Genesis Evangelion. Ganaix studios and Hideki Anno are the original creators. If at any time, the creators wish for me to remove this content and dispose of it, I will abide their rules. In other words, don't sue me, 'cause you ain't getting jack. Now, without further adue, I present…..

Final War Evangelion

An Archangel production.

By: B.C. Sealey

Oh no,  
here it is again  
I need to know  
when I will fall in decay

Something wrong  
with every plan of my life  
I didn't really notice that you've been here

Dolefully desired  
Destiny of a lie

Set me free  
your heaven's lie  
set me free with you love  
set me free

Oh no,  
here it is again  
I need to know  
why did I choose to betray you

Something wrong  
with all the plans of my life  
I didn't realize that you've been here

Dolefully desired  
Destiny of a lie

Set me free  
your heaven's lie  
set me free with you love  
set me free

Set me free your heaven's lie  
set me free with you love  
set me free

-Heaven's a Lie by Lacuna Coil


	2. Prolouge: The Angel War and The Prelude

It started in the year 2000 A.D. of the human race. Mankind, in all of its glory and power, dominated the Earth. In their right mind, they considered themselves the rightful rulers of the world and their faith. God, an idea that was becoming more and more unbelievable and unfathomable with each passing day, only resided in his heaven and seem to have nothing to do with lives of his children who walked the land.

Then came a day in the southern reaches of Antarctica, when the world finally found proof of God. It was a being of supreme unfathomable and perhaps unlimited power, so great, it seemed as though the image of God himself had appeared. This being, a giant of light, was called Adam; named after the first man to walk the Earth. This was the first of God's messengers, his Angels, to walk the Earth.

However, man is forever dammed to his ignorance of the world as well as the human desire for knowledge and power. In that ignorance, man tried to make this God they found his tool, his toy. Outraged by such an attempt, the real God, thought of only in myth, struck down upon the Earth with great wraith to punish all of man for their mistake.

This event became known as the Second Impact. Though it was falsely claimed and widely believed by the now ruling governing body of Earth, The United Nations, to be caused by a renegade meteor, the truth was far from this and far more difficult to believe. In their attempts to make Adam's power their own, they caused that very power he wielded- a powerful new type of energy known as Super Solanoid Energy (S2)- to implode, reducing the continent of Antarctica to nothingness and in turn, creating a massive tidal wave that engulfed the entire Earth. Nearly three fourths of the human race died, while many more would follow afterwards caused by the tremendous shift in the Earth's Axis and the seasons. Even more died in the oncoming riots of panic and mass hysteria.

It was later reviled through a set of mysterious documents known as the Dead Sea Scrolls; Adam was the first of these beings to come. In fifteen years, God would send forth fifteen more of his messengers; one for each passing year and each more powerful then the last. These beings would give mankind the only satisfying punishment it deserved for its sins: death.

To combat this, man would play God once more. Using their knowledge of science and technology, man strived to create a God from the God they had found. In this folly, many were successful and gave birth to the ultimate weapons: the biomechanical war machines, the Evangelions.

However, these powerful machines required the most fragile of possessions to pilot them: the soul of a child. For this task, three children were selected to battle the messengers of the lord. Each of them, these fragile souls, were laden with pain and suffering.

Then, in the year 2015, the war between the Angels and the humans began. The conflict, which took place in the new Babylon known as Tokyo 3, was filled with suffering and pain. Amongst the sufferers, were the pilots who fought on the battlefield, whose lives would forever be altered by the hell they witnessed with their own eyes.

But as the battles rocked the metropolis, the war beheld many conspiracies and hidden agendas. Attempts at becoming God and an everlasting existence. A controlled Third Impact called Instrumentality that would lead man to a nirvana that was false. Experiments with melding angelic DNA into humans. It would seem that as always man's worst enemy is from within.

Nevertheless, when the battlefield was silent, only one race stood in the final battle. The Angel of Free Will, Tabris otherwise known as Kawrou Nagaisa stood before the mother of mankind, the mysterious being Lillith and surrendered his life to the Evangelion pilot "The Third Child", Shinji Ikari. And with his death, Mankind won their war with God and the right to control their destiny.

However, this story is only the beginning of another story. For in the shadows, the truth behind all truths lies hidden. A coming conflict is whispered silently in the wind. A new war, unknown to mankind is about to begin. A war unlike any witnessed before by human eyes. And this one will not be for mankind's life or freedom, but for their very souls.

This is that story.


	3. Chapter 1: The End of One Story

Final War Evangelion

By: B.C. Sealey

Proof reading by: Cheese and Ghost man

Prologue: The End of One Story

Tokyo 3 Regional Hospital, Room 303….

Somewhere, in the broken war torn metropolis of Tokyo Three, a young boy around 15 with brown chestnut hair looks upon a patient in a bed.

The patient was a girl around his age with lightly pale skin and fiery red hair cascading down her the back of her slender body, who is oblivious to his presence. Her complexion was silent, almost dead. The boy's eyes, a deep ocean blue, never left the gaze of the girl. He couldn't bear to see her like this, not when she use to be so filled with life and energy. Even if she wasn't nice to him-in fact she was for the lack of a better word a complete arrogant "bitch"- he still thought she was a great person. He always found himself wishing that he had her strength, her energy, her courage.

Now. Now she was nothing more then a lifeless statue, a mere shell of her former self.

As this thought entered his mind, the boy felt them coming. He shook, strained and held back, hoping that he wouldn't. It was more or less a wasted effort and the boy did the one thing that he knew she would have laughed at him for.

He started to cry.

He tried to stop, but just like before, it was futile. Eventually, he stopped resisting and let them fall down his face. It was depressing and he knew it. Would it solve anything? No, it would not. Yet this was all he could do, cry about what had happened in the events of the past year: a year filled with more hell and nightmares then anyone should have to bear.

He cried for her. He cried for his friends, including the one's he ruined and the lives he took. He cried for his mother and father, the ones who had abandoned and left him to this cruel fate, to be alone, to never be loved. More importantly, he cried for himself because he wasn't good enough to save anybody.

As he did this, he felt the sudden drop of guilt. This was his entire fault. It was always his fault. If he only he hadn't been born a coward, a spineless nobody, then maybe things could have been different. Then maybe he could've saved everyone.

The boy considered suicide. It would be so easy to end the pain, so much easier to run away from it all for could. After all death can't be all that bad, can it? It's far better then living in this world where all you received was pain. It's just like sleeping…you just don't wake up.

He soon shook that thought. No. No he couldn't do that. What if he woke up in a new place? A place far worst then the place he had left. What if the nightmare didn't end with death?

That only left one option. The one that he had taken so many times before. It was cowardly yes, but there was no other option outside of death. There was no place left to go, but far from here. And there was nothing left to do, but to runaway.

With his mind up, the boy, Shinji Ikari, moved his way towards the door. Echo step was heavy, almost like walking on the stairway to heaven in a more dramatic sense. He looked back one last time at the girl, Asuka Langley Soryu, before turning away.

"Goodbye… Asuka."

Shinji said nothing more and even if he could, what good would it actually do. With that done, the third child opened the door and moved quickly down the hall and into the elevator. After a few moments, when he made it to the first floor, he broke into a slight jog, which became a full out run as he passed through the double doors of the hospital and into the rainy night, desperate to escape once more.

Another event was taking place elsewhere in the Geofront. In the area known as Terminal Dogma, beyond the door known as Heavens Gate, young women in her early teens, roughly around 15 entered the room. Her soft silhouette outlined the ground as she approached the center where the only light in the carven like room existed.

There a many great things that were odd and wrong about this situation, though for the most part the girl was unaware or just didn't care. Most had to do with the girls appearance. Her skin, a pale white, seemed to glow in a mysterious unexplained way not of this way. Unnatural cyan blue hair cropped her hair, hanging an inch from touching her shoulders. However none of these physical attributes were as strange- or perhaps even terrifying- then her eyes; they were red like the color of blood.

She also didn't seem to care that she was completely naked.

She slowly looked up to stare at the image before her: a massive red colored cross, easily the size of a small skyscraper, maybe even bigger then that. However attached to it is something the no human would ever have expected existed.

A massive white creature that was just as big as the cross hung from it, crucified as if it were mocking Jesus Christ himself. Its body was somewhat shaped like a human, although it was impossible to tell if it was a male or female. Its gargantuan arms are nailed into place through the wrist with truck size bolts of steel. It bore a large purple mask on its face with seven staring eyes which bore down at the girl, silently.

As the girl continues to stare up at this horrifying display, question began to plague her from. Images of things she had never seen were fragmented in her mind. They were of people she had met and known-in particular, the ones that interested her was that of her co-pilot, the Third Child, Shinji Ikari, but they were She felt as though she experienced them before. But how? And from where?

Then there were these feeling she was experiencing, which were so alien, yet so familiar to her. Every time she thought of the third child, Shinji Ikari, she felt happy, sad, angry and at the same time, confused. Why did he make her feel that way? Where they connected in some way?

These images as well as the questions that they had brought about hat have plagued her for the past nights since she, the third Rei Ayanami awoke. The fragile memories had become annoying, but they were also in a sense intriguing. She wished to understand them and maybe they could give her answer to these questions that now swam in her head.

'Why do I exist? What is my purpose? What should I feel? What do I desire? Who am I?'

"Rei."

The girl turns to see a taller man in his early forties with chestnut brown hair dressed in a dark black military uniform and wearing white gloves to cover his hands. His face was cold in the way it is formed, almost as if it were chiseled out of hardened steel. His eyes and the stare he had gave off a kind of glacial freeze, but were somewhat tempered due to the pair of orange tinted glasses he was wearing.

"I knew you would be here. It's time for you to perform the purpose that you where created for."

The man, also known as Gendo Ikari, supreme commander of the secret organization NERV, removes the glove from his right hand and glances down at it. There grafted surgically in his palm was a tiny strange creature known only as Adam that lay curled in a fetal position that was grafted in to his hand. Adam's single eye was frozen in a twisted and empty glance that observed him with a frozen stare.

Gendo smiled thinly. It was amazing and ironic that this was the same creature that nearly wiped out humanity in the event known as the Second Impact fifteen years earlier. Now, it would be responsible for an even greater impact, one that would free them the iron clasp of mortality.

"You will now perform the fusion of Adam and Lillith. Rei, release you're A.T. field, the barrier of your mind and disregard your human form. Unite all human souls into one. Then…take me to my Yui's side."

'This is my purpose? ' she thinks with doubt. 'It is what I was created for, but is this what I …desire?'

She scolded herself mentally. Her purpose was the Commander's, nothing more. That was what she was born, no what she was created to do. To bring about the ascendancy of mankind to another plane and become God.

Or was it?

Regardless, Rei closes her eyes releasing her field as he had instructed. The man inches his right hand towards her breast. He made contact, bringing a painful burning sensation with it that caused all of our being to scream in anguish silently. She cringes and once again begins continues to ponder the questions from earlier. It is then she sees the image of a smiling Shinji Ikari form inside her head.

'Ikari… again…Why is it that his image haunts me so? How are we tied together?'

Meanwhile, Gendo Ikari, the Commander of NERV smiles. The moment he had longed for so long had finally arrived. He would once again be united with the women he loved. Nothing could stop him now.

Suddenly, he felt something cold, hard and metal press it's self to the back of his skull. Surprised slightly, but not showing it, he turned his head to the gun's source, an attractive woman in her thirties with raven black hair and piercing brown eyes that were narrowed in anger.

She speaks to him, marking each word with stinging hatred. "Don't even think about it you stupid fucker."

"Major Katasuragi, I don't believe I invited you here." Gendo replied with no emotion.

"Shut the hell up Ikari or I pull this trigger right here and now. And god knows I should because you deserve to go and rot in hell for what you have done and what you are planning to do."

Though Misato couldn't see him, she knew he was smirking with sick amusement as he gave a mirthless laugh. "So you know. Perhaps I should have been more cautious about you after I ordered the death of Ryoji Kaji."

"I believe I told you to shut the fuck up" Misato snapped, putting a lot of emphisis on the 'F' word. "Considering all the hell you put the children through and the fact that you took away the only man I have ever loved, I would say that I'm being pretty damn generous. You should be a little more grateful considering that I could take your life right here and now."

For a moment, there was silence, but it was then replaced by a tiny chuckle of amusement. The laugh grew louder and louder, more insane sounding with every passing second . He almost seemed to be happy that he was threatened by her. It was something the Major in a thousand years would never have expected of seeing, not from the cold hearted emotionless Commander.

He stopped and looked at her, a smile just as insane as his laugh was now evident, and replacing the cool mask he once wore. He seemed to change into a different person at that very moment. It was at this moment Misato wished he would turn back to the icy hearted bastard he was.

"If you intend to kill me Major, then you will need something a lot better then that." Gendo said, his eyes gleaming with malice.

The commander raised the hand with Adam toward Misato. Before she could tell him to stop, something suddenly slammed into Misato's body, quickly sending her flying back with a mysterious force. Shocked, but still on her feet and in possession of her gun, Misato fired a round at Gendo. The bullet flew right for his face, intent on putting a hole through his skull.

However, before it could, something else happened. A hexagonal field of orange sprang up in front of the commander. The bullet hit the field with a loud ping before clattering to the field, landing harmlessly at his feet.

"No way." Misato whispered in a shocked voice. "How could you have gained control over Adam's AT field?"

Gendo said nothing, but held Adam up to Misato, unleashing his newly acquired power once more. Misato was lifted and sent crashing into a nearby wall 10 feet away before sliding and coming to a rest on the cold concrete. Her gun glides to a stop in front of Rei, who observes the entire situation with an emotionless stare.

Hurt, but not unconscious Misato glances up as she grasped the back of her skull. Somehow Gendo had managed to gain control of Adam's AT field. How could that be possible, Misato didn't know, but things were not looking good at the moment. Though that would be enough to set off the detection units that the MAGI controlled, it would be too late before help arrived. By then, Gendo will have killed her and chances were the rest of the human race would be following in line.

Cursing herself, Misato looks up from the ground and sees one last ray of hope. The first child, Rei Ayanami, was looking right at her with a stoic, yet perplexed look on her face. She makes a last ditch to accomplish her mission, or for at least buy them some time before help could show.

"Rei! Get out of here! You don't have to obey him! You're not a doll! You're not his puppet-"

Before she can finish, Misato was snatched off the ground once more. She was sent sprawling across the floor landing in front of Lillith, nearly falling off the edge into the pool of LCL a hundred feet below her.

Misato hears footsteps against metal and glances up to see the Commander looking down upon her, the insane smile never leaving his face.

"I am sorry, but I cannot allow you to interfere with my life's work. Not after I have worked so hard and sacrificed so much."

Gendo reached into his jacket and drew his weapon, a polished snubbed nose revolver, from his jacket and points it down at the fallen Major. Though this was a surprising annoyance, the Commander of NERV knew that the situation was well within his control. Paradise was well within his grasp. All Gendo had to do was pull the trigger and then this minor problem would be taken care of. Then, he would be with Yui shortly.

As this was going on, Rei's mind begins to think about what the Major had just said. 'Am I a doll? No, I am not. I am me. I am myself and I exist as myself.'

'Then why do you fellow his orders so blindly?' a voice asks.

'Because it's my purpose.'

'No. You only think that is your purpose.'

'But if I don't accomplish my purpose, then why should I exist?'

'To live to find a purpose. To be human. To be with him, the one we call brother.'

She's sees Shinji smiling at her again and then. It was then, right then and not a moment too soon or late, that Rei realizes the truth. A truth that was so far away yet was so close to her the entire time.

'Ikari…Shinji! Shinji's my brother!'

'Yes. He is. This is what you have known from the beginning, but couldn't bring yourself to accept. This is what you desire. To be with your brother and to be happy.'

'Ikari…my brother.' Rei thought.

And it was then, Rei Ayanami, the angelic half breed who had never known what it was to be human, made her decision.

Misato glanced up as the Commander drew his gun, remaining defiant in the face of death. She was clutching her ribs almost certain that she had at least fractured something.

"You think that you can just order us all to our deaths because of your sick ambition to play God? Your wife will never forgive you Ikari for what you done! Who gave you the right to be humanity's overseer? Who gave you the right to play god?"

He laughs insanely at her, showing no remorse or feeling for his actions, all the while sending a shiver down her spine. "I see no reason why I should tell you, so therefore I won't. "

Misato curled her lips and snarled defiantly. "You bastard! You're getting ready to become the murderer of the rest of the human race. And all so you can see your wife! She'll never forgive you for this Ikari! You used your own son and daughter for your own means! Don't you have any remorse at all for what your about to do?"

Gendo was still smirking, but the cold glare that Misato was use to seeing was back. "I wouldn't even call that weakling my son. He's nothing more then useless DNA from my gene pool. However, he has severed his purpose in my scenario as did you and the rest of NERV. For that, I am much grateful. So consider this my reward for you obedience and hard work, Major."

The commander pressed the cold barrel to her head, ensuring that when it did fire he would crush her head like a squashed watermelon. "I knew you were nothing, but the cold hearted bastard Shinji always said you were. I just didn't know you were this insane as well. Your really are going to damn the rest of us so you can see her again." Misato shouted.

"Like I said before, you wouldn't possibly understand what I am attempting to accomplish. All of us will much happier once it is through and there is no more pain. No more sorrow that comes with this painful living. "

Gendo fingered the trigger, preparing to fire the powerful iron into her skull. "Farwell Major Katasuragi, I hope you get to see Kaji again."

Seeing that the final hour had struck on her life, Misato can do nothing more, but accept the end. She felt the defiant fire she had start to die out and with it she can do nothing but curse her failures. She grieves over her failures again and again. Her failure to Shinji, to Asuka, to Rei, to Kaji, to everyone else and to herself.

'Shinji, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have pushed you away. I should have been there and held you close. I should have helped you with your pain. I love you kiddo.'

'Asuka, I'm so sorry. I should have not let you push me away. I should have pushed back like I should have with Shinji. I should have helped you. You, me and Shinji…we made one hell of a family, and I would give anything to be like that again.'

'Kaji, I'm sorry for letting you down. I screwed up again, not only with this, but with you. I shouldn't have run away from you. I shouldn't have left you. I'm...a coward. A fucking coward'

A single tear runs down Misato's cheek. She heard Gendo click back the hammer on his revolver and she knew that it was over. She closes her eyes and waits for the hand of death to lay its cold hand on her shoulder.

All the while, Misato was praying somewhere, deep within. She was praying heart and soul to a God she stopped believing in long ago.

Little did she know that with the pull of a trigger, God answered.

A single gunshot filled the air and rang through the room. Time stands still as it echoed through the room, sound bouncing around on walls. It continues and continues, stretching the time out beyond imagination. Then, slowly it comes to an end and in its wake, there is only silence.

Realization started to dawn on Misato as she began to process the situation and comprehend it. 'Am I dead? No, this can't be right. There is no pain and if I was dead, then I wouldn't be thinking …right?'

Misato finally dares herself to open her eyes, partially afraid that she would awaken in the beautiful plans of Heaven or the fiery land of Hell. The thought of winged beings with harps or horned demons with pitchforks terrified her, but she knows she can't keep her eyes closed from the truth forever either.

Fortunately as light passed through her eyes, she finds neither, but something just as shocking and unexpected. The Commander of NERV no longer had the cold, insane look in his eyes or the mirthless smile that had graced his lips. That was replaced by a look of pain and utter confusion on his face as he was clutching his right shoulder, which was now soaked with blood.

'What the hell?'

With that thought, Misato followed his line of vision and soon, could see why he is so shock. There, standing in her nude form, Rei, the commander's creation/daughter and most loyal servant, was holding Misato's gun in her hand. Her finger was on the trigger as a small thin cloud of gun smoke was coming from the end of the barrel. She had the same unreadable look on her face as she always did, which made the situation all the more surprising.

Though injured, it didn't take long for Gendo to react to this change in his scenario. "You little…bitch!" he gasped in fury.

Gendo lifted his hand to use Adam's AT field, but soon found something was very wrong. He could feel the power of Adam flowing through his right arm, but it was being repressed by something unknown. Gendo looked at Rei a moment with a look of surprise and awe as he realized what was wrong.

Rei was using her AT field to suppress Adam's. It was one of her abilities, but it didn't make sense to Gendo. The power of Lillith, the second angel, was weaker then Adam's. How could this be…unless!

Rei smiled coldly. "This is not the power of Lillith. This power is of my own will."

Gendo was confused. "But how? You have a false soul. You shouldn't even be able to hold you own body together let alone use your AT field to hold back Adam's."

Rei smiled even more coldly. "You're wrong. I have a soul, I have a life. I have always had these, but because of the power you held over me, I was never able to find the truth. I was blind, but now I can see. My existence is mine, not yours. And you won't take it from me again."

Gendo's face grew angry and fierce with insane fury. He had enough of this insolence. He was so close, so very close to being with his beloved wife once again. And he would not be stopped, not by this thing…this doll.

"You're nothing, but a useless doll! You're my creation! I own you and your soul! I gave you life and I can take it away!"

With out another rational thought, Gendo let an animalistic scream and charged the blue haired girl. Not scared, but filled with cold determination, Rei leveled the gun and emptied three quick rounds from the clip. The first hit his right hand, reducing the embryo of Adam- as well as his entire right hand- to nothing, but bloody useless flesh. The other two caught Gendo in the chest, one piercing his heart, dropping him where he stood.

The commander dropped to his knees, clutching his heart in pain. In his last moments of futile consciousness, Gendo fought to stay awake, his breathing ragged. His body was cold and shaking, as start to go into shock from the bullet wounds. More of his blood was pouring out of him with every passing second, forming a puddle of crimson around him. The vision of his eyes was growing dimmer and dimmer, until it was just a struggle for him to stay awake.

No. He couldn't die. Not now. Not when Yui was so very, very close to him. Not when he could almost feel her touch or smell her scent. Not when her lips were almost lingering near his own. It just couldn't be…..not when she was standing over him.

However, with the last of his rational thinking, Gendo realized that it wasn't not Yui standing over him, but Rei, the daughter he had made in her image, that was looking down at him with the same cold look in her red eyes. It was then, with his last breath, that Gendo asked the final question of his life.

"Rei…why?"

Rei looked down at the man who she once obeyed unconditionally without question, her creator, her father. Feelings of redemption anger and yes, even sorrow, feelings that she never in her life understood until this moment, were released at last. Tears, something she never understood, ran down her cheeks. To every one around including Misato who still stood in complete shock, Rei's answer did not come as a monotone response. It came as a declaration, filled with emotion never before seen in the albino girl.

"I am not a doll for you to control anymore."

Gendo heard this, but it came as a far away whisper. He was close now. Close to being release from this painful life at last, just not in the way he had intended. His only regret was that he wouldn't see her, his beloved Yui, and this seemed worst then the hell he would soon be entering.

Glancing up at her with glazed over eyes, he mumbled his final words. "Yui, I…"

And with that, Gendo Ikari, the man who tried to destroy the world and bring about Mankind's rise to God died.

Misato, still shaken, willed herself to stand of the ground. She approached the dead Commander look down. She checked his pulse to see that he was really dead. He was, though Misato had no doubts about that. Even if they had managed to get him to the medical equipment to save him, Gendo probably would have died in surgery.

After a moment, Misato walked over to Rei, who was now sobbing like she never sobbed before. In a sense, this was true and in a sense ironic. Asuka had spent all that time saying that the first child didn't have a heart and that she would kill herself for her commander. In a strange twist of fate, the opposite had happened.

Rei looked over at Misato, trying to gain control over herself, which she found frustrating and confusion when she couldn't. "Why? Why am I crying? Is this what it feels like to be human?"

Misato hesitated, not knowing what to do or say. She had already taken away the gun from Rei, who was now starting to wipe away the tears in desperate effort to stop herself from crying and struggling against her newly found emotions. The Major had seen two other children she cared about suffer and failed to do anything to save them. Children were never her strong suite after all.

However, after a moment of pondering, Misato made a decision. Hesitantly, she drew Rei into an embrace. The girl was dead still, not knowing how to react to this. Never before had anyone given her affection or compassion. All she had known was pain and enduring the pain that came with being nothing more then a tool.

It was then Misato whispered. "It's okay Rei. Its okay to cry. You don't have to be afraid anymore. You're human now. It's okay to feel this way. "

Rei was still unmoving as the Major's words came to her ears. And for some reason that she could not understand, she felt comforted. Maybe because for the first time in her life, Rei found the answer to the question she had just asked.

It was then Rei was able to let herself go. She cried her heart and soul out into the Major's red jacket. Misato continued to soothe her with kind words until finally, Rei fell asleep in her arms. And with that, Misato smiled.

'Maybe I'm not the best guardian in the world' she thought. 'But maybe, I can learn. Ands just maybe, helping these children will be enough to redeem me. I wonder, is this what you meant Kaji? Is this what you meant about trying to move ahead with my life?'

Banishing the thoughts out of her mind, Misato pulled out her cell phone and called for help. She got Vice Commander Futusky on the other end who, as the new Commander, sent help right away. Misato hung up the phone and stared into silence, still holding Rei quietly.

'Soon' she thought. 'Soon the whole world will know everything. About NERV, about EVA, the Angels, about all of this. What's going to happen now? Is it really over?'

Elsewhere wondering the exact same thing, Shinji looked back at the city one last time from the bus station. He was no longer crying, mainly because he couldn't find the strength to do so anymore. In a sense, he felt like an old man who had his life drained from; weary, weak and tired.

However, he had come to at least one conclusion. He was now prepared to end this portion of his life. No more EVA. No more NERV. No more father. No more Misato, Asuka, Rei or anybody to cause him harm. No more hurting people he cared about.

What was going to happen next? Could he find a place to call home? Could he really go one living? Only God really knew…if he ever existed at all.

"Hey kid. You coming or not?"

Shinji turned around. The bus had shown up while he was in thought. The door to the bus was opened, the driver staring intently at him. This was his ticket out of hell. Would he take it?

Could he really this behind, this time for good?

"Sorry, I was just saying goodbye, that's all." Shinji replied slowly and quietly.

"Well hurry your goodbyes up. I hate this God forsaken town. I wanna go home."

The former pilot muttered another apology. Shinji walked over and started to board the bus, turning around one last time. The rain had stopped, but the dark sky gave the ruined city an eerie feeling. It felt more like a city of the dead instead of the former metropolis it use to be.

"Goodbye… everyone."

Hours later, unknown to the world following, a dark figure stood in a circle. The circle was made of 12 monoliths, which surrounded him like the ancient ruins of Stone Hinge. Upon each of these monoliths, the German word for soul, "SEELE", was written in red along with a corresponding number.

"So, it is has you have foreseen. Ikari's life has been taken by the first child." A voice from SEELE number 1 said.

"We can no longer use her to complete the project." SEELE 2 said.

The figure in the center of the room, who was garbed completely in a black hooded robe, made a slight noticeable nod and replied to SEELE 1 in a smooth voice. "Considering who I am, would you have reason to not judge my information Chairmen Keel."

"We shall be the judge of that in due time." Chairmen Keel retorted.

SEELE 5 cleared his voice. "We have more pressing concerns at the moment. Once NERV has gone public with this information, it will be easily traceable to us and then we will be finished. Our forces are not yet complete. "

"Then we must all disappear. Fortunately, our contacts from within the Government we allow for that easily." SEELE 7 said.

"Agreed." SEELE 6 replied. The others followed suite in giving their agreement.

"However, we must do something about NERV. They must be punished for their interference. " SEELE 8 hissed

SEELE 9 agreed. "Yes. If left unchecked, then NERV could become a torn in our side and the plans we have for humanity."

The figure in black laughed. "All in good time. Do not despair my friends. For my brethren and I have come to help you. After all, we have a common enemy."

"Are you sure that the information you have given us entirely accurate?" SEELE 11 asked. "Is this really going to happen?"

The figure nodded. "Of course, it has been written since the dawn of time ever since the Great Fall. Yes. Three years from this very day, they will appear. And then everything I have just told you will be set into motion."

"And by doing what you say, we can complete our project?" SEELE 4 replied.

The dark one smiled. "Trust me my friends. All shall come full circle in time. . And we shall both have our revenge as well as what we want. This… I promise"

Author's notes: Hello once again. Its amazing that this story is over three years old now. In some ways, it seems like it was yesterday and in others, a lifetime ago. I must confess that I never intended to be working on this now. I always hoped it would be finished.

Nevertheless, I really want to finish what I started. This story was my first and I hope one day it will be completed the way I wanted it. To my mind, this story will be close to a hundred chapters once it is finish. This goal is a hard one, but hopefully, one that is very attainable.

For those who have read this, yes this is the original prologue. Now it's the first chapter. The reason for this is that many of my friends who have not seen Evangelion liked the story, but had no idea about the background story. I hope that as a summary, the new prologue gives these readers a chance to understand what is going on, despite it being very much incomplete I hope to have the next chapter completely fixed up by next week. This will be the final chapter I'm making changes to and it will have some plot changes. It isn't anything that will affect the story yet, but in order to finish this story the way I want to, it needed to be done. Do not worry; everything from the former Chapter 2 (now 3) on will not change. They are going back up when I finish the chapter.

Until we meet again,

B.C. Sealey


	4. Chapter 2: The Beginning of a New Story

Disclaimer: See page One

Final War Evangelion,

By: B.C Sealey

Chapter One: The Start Of a New Story

Pre reading by: Ghostman and Cheese

_June 29th 2018 Osaka 2, Japan, 9:05 am…._

In the tourist town of Osaka 2, Yuki Adachi, a young woman walks into a traditional Japanese restaurant. She was around 17 in age with short black hair that gave her a tom boyish appearance, along with dark brown eyes.

Her expression seemed to give away the fact that she had been having a very chaotic mourning. She had woken up late for her breakfast shift, got into a heated argument with her boyfriend. Not to mention the fact that her piece of shit car wouldn't start this mourning.

This day couldn't get any worst, could it?

She walked past further into the establishment. It wasn't much, mainly a dining room with about nine or ten tables, a bar and the kitchen area, but it still brought in pretty good income.

She passed one of the tables, only to stop as she saw something that just made her day. Normally, it wouldn't have bothered, but considering that she was tired, pissed at the world and in the middle of her period, she couldn't hold back.

She walked, rather marched, over past two tables to a young man with his head laid down. He was out cold, almost as if he had ether got so damn drank he couldn't stay awake or hadn't had a lick of sleep in days and that was what concerned her. For the past week he looked as if he was barley able to stand on his own two feet. Granted he was always depressed, but still.

She suspected the second, mainly because in the past year and a half she had known him, he wasn't a heavy drinker. To tell the truth he had never seen him drunk once, even at the all the college parties she had managed to get them into.

He had chestnut brown hair which touched his shoulders and covered his eyes. He was roughly around five nine in height with some muscles, but he was no muscle head or athlete. Still, she had to admit he looked pretty good even though she was two years his senior.

He was a kind-hearted person, a sweet natured individual who couldn't possibly harm anybody. He listened, smiled when they really needed it and was there for them when they could count on him. True kindness and sincerity was something that the was lacking today, unlike some dicks she knew. They seemed to live in a world where people always tried to harm other people.

Still, while this made girls draw to him like metal to a super magnet, there was something that made them walk away from him. Something they could see in his eyes, an unexplained sorrow that seemed to always be present, even when he was laughing and carrying on with friends. No matter what would happen it always seemed to be present, like nothing could end the pain that he felt.

He would occasionally say things when girls said that they liked him. Stuff like "I don't think that would be a good idea or even better, "I don't think you would like me very well." It was almost as if he was trying to keep them a way from him. Like he had some deep dark secret that was so horrible, he was afraid they might get hurt.

Still, the girls, Yuki included, were still interested in him. They often times flirted with him, whether it be cuddling and brushing up against his skin or wearing something reveling tops that displayed their cleavage to the world. Most times, he would look away from them and still they could see the sorrows that seem to prevent him from ever knowing true happiness.

They had asked him out a few times and he obliged them, but still nothing seem to work him out of the dark cloud that seem to hang over his head. One even threw herself at him, saying that if he wanted, she would let him do whatever he wanted as long as he wanted.

He still refused.

They had given up after that, going as far as to say that he liked "to bang men only". Others were even colder going as far as to insult him in front of people and shun him when the poor boy thought they were his friends. Coward, wimp, moron, baka. She had been pretty sure that he heard them all at least a thousand times. Still there were still a few who continued to try and fail miserably to win him over.

"Honey, when you decide to stop acting like the world hates you and start acting like a man, come see us." was what some of her girlfriends once said to him.

Nonetheless, she was fed up with it. He was not only acting like his dark cloudy self again, but their manger nearly fired him yesterday. She suspected that the old man, Mr. Seito, was probably back in the kitchen cooking and hadn't come out to check on him.

The girl shook her head. It looked like she had to save his ass again, but the way she intended to do it was not just a simple shake. She instead leaned over into his ear, slowly opened her mouth and...

"AKITO! "

The dreaming boy known as Akito snapped his head up, looking quickly from side to side. His right ear had that annoying ringing feeling and at one point, he considers the possibility of declaring himself partially deaf.

He heard a slight chuckle and he turned towards its origin, his coworker Yuki Adachi a tired, but very annoyed glare. Instead of causing her to stop laughing, she continued on this time more hysterical then before. Akito let out a sigh as he wiped his eyes.

"So you finally decided to join the world of the living again Mr. Hikawa." she said mockingly.

His eyes narrowed angrily at her, but a second later, he gave it up. He wasn't really in the mood to be acting mad or angry today. He was too tired to care. He yawned and stretched, letting his limbs loosen up.

"Do you get off on tormenting me Yuki?"

"No I have a boyfriend for that."

She tensed. She was sitting here having a pleasant conversation with a friend, only to be reminded of her already shitty morning. His voice came back to her, him calling her useless, a slut, unfaithful. She was reminded of something her aunt told her a few years back.

_"Men...once they got some, they try to see what else they can do to you."_

"You and Ryo get in another argument?"

She looked at him, with a look of surprised. For somebody so antisocial, he had some really great observational skills. "Yeah we did. How'd you guess?"

"You were acting like that last week to. He didn't...you know?"

"No he didn't. Ryo may act macho, but he's a bigger wuss then you Akito. All jocks are like that I think. "

He chuckled. "Reminds a little bit of somebody I once knew."

Yuki then noticed him grow pale, as if what he had just said dragged some lost memory from the depths of hell it's self. It was then she decided that she could no longer sit back and let him push everybody away.

"Akito. You okay?"

He looked at her, forcing a fake smile. "Yeah, I'll be fine."

Her eyes narrowed in on him. "Bullshit. You keep telling us things are okay, yet you keep pushing people away. Hell, if you weren't such an anti social nutcase I know half a dozen girls who would throw themselves at you."

"I'm not all that great though."

"I don't think so and there are many people here who don't think it. You have a lot of great qualities that are redeemable and admirable."

"What redeemable admirable qualities do I have?"

She wanted to beat his ass anime style with a five-ton baka mallet for that one. "God dammit, why do you have to act so down? You think you're the only one on this fucking planet with problems! Get over yourself!"

"Yuki, you think that now, but if you knew-"

She couldn't take it anymore. All of this, plus what had happened this mourning he had to let it loose. She reached over the table, drew her hand back and smacked him as hard as she could.

A split second later, she gasped in shock. She had meant to hit him, just not as hard as she intended. The entire right side of Akito's face was red, showing signs of bruising and he had a stunned expression on his face. She felt guilty for taking her anger out on him.

"Akito, I'm-"

"That's enough you two!"

They turned to see an older man with hardly any hair of his gray hair left on his head. He had a thick beard and mustache on his face. He was a short man, smaller then the two teens with a stout round belly jutted out from his chest.

He approached the both of them, first turning to give the girl in the room a fierce glare. "Yuki! I will discuss this with you later, but while we are here I want one thing understood. If I ever and I mean ever, catch you doing something like that again, your ass is fired. "

She winced at his voice. "Yes sir."

"Good. Now I need to talk with Akito, so could you please go to the kitchen and check on things. I have fish and ramen cooking. "

"But sir, Akito didn't do anything-"

"That isn't your concern. Now go before I get mad."

Letting her head fall in defeat, she gave the brown haired boy a sympathetic look before walking away.

Once the kitchen door closed, the older, Mr. Seito, looked back at Akito with the same sympathetic look.

"You look like hell. Coffee?"

He would have declined, but the older man was already up and going to get some coffee in the back. He had been like that all two and a half years he had been working and living in the small apartment above the guy's house.

He sighed as he tied his long chestnut brown hair back into a ponytail. Which he wore most of the time. Of course, his name wasn't really Akito Hikawa. It was funny that they even took in somebody with no past records of any kind, but he owed that to Mr. Seito. The older man took care of everything for him in that regard.

He heard the older man come back up and put his cup in front of him. The boy known as Akito picked it up and sipped on the warm cup of brew, it's sweet caffeine taste helping him perk up a little.

"I'm sorry I asked you to come in today, but I was just trying to help you. I saw the signs as early as last week. That time of the year I suppose."

Akito shook his head. "No, it's my fault. I can't use it as an excuse anymore.

Seito chuckled, which earned him a glare from the boy.

"You should take your own advice. So, is it the same ones like the past two years?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah, only they were worst this year then last. I keep remembering all of them, my father, my old friends, EVA."

There was silence for a moment and for that moment; Akito could see the visions again. The explosive battles where somebody always got killed or injured. The friends he had and how he ended up destroying them. The blue haired girl who remained him so much of his mother and the purple haired girl who was a lot like n older sister or mother. In some ways, she reminded him of how Yuki was.

Then there was Asuka. Shinji shook his head. No, he wouldn't think about that here. He was a new person with a new life. He was free, free from it all.

He should be happy, right?

Seito interrupted his thoughts. "You know, my grandmother once told me something. She said that dreams are symbolic of what we feel inside our heart. Kinda of creepy when you think of it at first, but I think it's true. When you constantly dream of a girl every night with the thoughts of only wanting to be with her, it is a symbol of your love for that girl."

He looked at him. "In your case, you attempt to run away from who you were and thus by shielding it away from the world, you are forced to remember who you were. You can't keep running away forever Shinji. Eventually, you will have to accept who you are."

Akito Hikawa or rather Shinji Ikari looked away, saying nothing in response. Seito sighed, he knew that this was a meaningless effort, just like every time over the past two years had been. Ever since he found the boy sleeping in the alley of his restaurant and learning the truth of what he had been through, he and his wife had done everything they could to get him to see what was wrong with him, but to no avail.

The first months were terrible, mainly because they didn't know everything right away. They thought he was a very abused child; he certainly had the mental signs for it. Every night, the boy would wake up screaming names like" Kaoru! "Or "Asuka!" so much so Seito actually had to go out and get a subscription for sleeping pills. He hardly ate at all and on several times tried to kill himself.

Seito glanced at the boy's right arm. A white scar was on his wrist, the mark of his last attempt. They had to take him to the emergency ward and it had been hard for them to help him. That was when they came up with his current alias and with help from his grandfather's life savings; they managed to get him a blood transfusion.

When he regained conscious, he wasn't really happy that he was still alive. He raged for five minutes until his wife slapped him and told him to get a hold of himself. When he did, they told him they wanted to help. They wanted him to tell them what had happened to make him like this.

After a few days he came clean. At first they didn't believe him until his wife looked him up online. The UN had published the official information with his picture...and a very large reward attached to it for his retrieval.

They considered turning him in, but after seeing the pain those people had caused him, they didn't. Instead, they started working with him, helping him heal the wounds his soul had suffered. It was the least they could do; after all it isn't every day when a great international war hero lives in your house.

In time, they came to accept him as the child they never had. His wife was sterile and could never have children as a result of a birth defect. Life had been pretty lonely before and they couldn't more proud then to call him son.

Eighteen months ago, nearly an entire year after he was brought into their home, he started working for the restaurant owned by his father and grandfather. It had been rebuilt after the Second Impact and while it wasn't a five stair restaurant, it brought in enough money.

They had made a lot of progress in those months. Shinji and Yuki, his only employee before then, became good friends. Although from what Yuki had told him, he wasn't a real social person. It was understandable and as much as he wanted to say why, he didn't. Shinji trusted him not to.

He was afraid as well. In a sense, Shinji was an infamous celebrity, looked at by some as a sort of Messiah and by others as the Antichrist. So much so that a religious cult from Europe, known as SOG or the Solders of God, sought to find the dubbed and since named "demon of unholy destruction" and assassinate him before he could do more harm to the lord. There had been ten murders in the past six months which had been connected to them. All of which were children Shinji's age suspected of being the all powerful EVA pilot.

Those creeps angered him. How could they try to harm any of those children after they went through so much to save them all? Even if it was true, that he murdered the messengers of God, he only did it because he had to follow the rules of people who were in power. He was just a child who was forced into a destiny that he most certainly didn't want.

Tearing his way from his thoughts, he focused on the boy himself. He was still silent, his cup halfway full. Seito jut hoped he wouldn't try to kill himself again. It would cause Sakura's heart to break in half if her foster child had died.

After taking a sip from his cup, Seito finally spoke. "I want you to take today and tomorrow off. Do what ever you want, go to the beach, go out and party, but do something to take your mind off of this."

"That isn't necessary you know. I can work just fine."

Seito shook his head. "No you can't. Personally, I'm afraid that you'll burn my damn kitchen down like you almost did last week. "

"But-"

"No, butts son. This is to give you the time you need to get over what's bothering you. Call Sakura if you're going to be out late."

Letting his head fall in defeat, Shinji got up and headed for the door. "I'll go, but could you at least not punish Yuki. She didn't do it on purpose."

"I wasn't planning to. As a matter a fact, a good slap seems to help you now and then."

Shinji nodded, showing a smile sign of a happy smile before fading away into the self-loathing person he was. He was about to walk outside when Seito called to him.

"Shinji, Remember what I said. You can't run away from who you are forever."

The former third child said nothing as he left. Seito looked down at his cup with sweet brown liquid. He had done all he could to help, but he didn't know how much more he could do.

Twelve hours later, the great metropolis known as Tokyo 3 was getting ready for night. It was a Friday, so the town was busy as people go out to enjoy the night life. Since the end of the war, the city had enjoyed a speedy rebuilding phase and most of what was destroyed was ether completely rebuilt or would be soon enough. It was well on it's way top becoming mankind's fortress once again.

All of this was observed from the balcony of Misato Katasuragi's apartment by one Rei Ayanami. The now seventeen year old pilot takes in the sight of the noisy city as the moonlight from the full moon graces her body.

The young girl had gone through many unique changes physically. Her hair was slightly longer and had even developed a small tan from going to the beach with Misato and her friends from school. She filled a little more and grew a little bit taller as well making her an even more stunning young woman.

Her mind was too plagued with the same thing she had thought about last year and the year before on this very same night. Rei would have gone out with her friends tonight, but instead choose to be alone. The first child had been thinking about the significance of tomorrow. Tomorrow was the three-year anniversary since the end of the war and the disappearance of her brother.

She remembered everything that followed the incident that had resulted in her killing Gendo Ikari. They had come home to find Shinji and tell him what happened, only to find that he was no where in sight. His room looked normal and nothing was missing. He had left everything behind including his cherished SDAT player and the cello that belonged to his mother.

They immediately went on the hunt along with an organized group of NERV officers and members to search the town. The hospital had reported that he had stopped by earlier to see Asuka, but left shortly afterwards. Shinji had always been a hard child to keep track of, even with an elite security team always following after him.

She remembered that night when they finally quit. Misato cried for four hours and after the first two, Rei followed suit. She now understood the reason for tears, but back then she couldn't help but be baffled by them. All she knew was there was this heavy feeling in her chest and she couldn't understand it and that she wanted her brother to come home. That way they could be a family.

After everything about NERV had become public, the U.N. put up a reward that would lead to the search for Shinji Ikari. A reward was posted to the reward and there had been many crocked scams over the years, all of which had failed miserably.

They had no luck over the past years of where he could be and soon the fear grew over the past six months. SOG, the Solders Of God, had been attacking NERV headquarters. Various attacks against them included bombing, assassinations of NERV members, beheadings and much more. However, the murdering of young children, all of which had brown hair and ocean blue eyes were what horrified them. Each time it happened they were scared like hell for the DNA tests to come back positive.

They had been lucky this far. How long would it be until they received a test confirming a positive result?

"What are you doing out here?"

She turned and smiled to see Misato walk up beside her. "Just thinking." she replied.

"I know...I miss him too Rei."

A lot had happened in three years. Misato was now Commander of NERV, having just been granted the position after the retirement of former Commander Futyuski a few months ago. NERV was now fully under the strict control of the U.N. and was still in charge of the Evangelions. EVA Units 00 and 03 were rebuilt. Touji Suzahara, now 17 as well, was once again a pilot, after he was given the latest in biomechanical prosthetic limbs that were based of the Evangelion's technology.

The U.N. also approved the building of the new A.P. or Advanced Production models two years ago as well. Unit 05 and 06 were now under the control of NERV Japan as of last month The new pilots arrived from Russia and America. Unit 07 from England and Units 08 and 09 from China were to be completed soon. Unit 10 was halfway constructed in the newly formed Australian branch. The newly named Mass Production Unit's 11-21 were in their designing stages, but were still awaiting U.N. approval and assignment to who would get to build them. Then more then likely, each country would be building their own personal army of Evangelions.

In other words, the world was arming its self in case of an encounter with its worst enemy: its self.

The purple haired woman let out a yawn. "Well, I think I'm going to turn in early. Those bastards from the UN haven't given me a decent night's sleep in ages. Don't you stay up too late either. You got sync tests tomorrow."

"I will... I just want to think for a while"

"Don't think to hard about it Rei. We both already know that Shinji wouldn't have wanted you to worry about him."

"Misato, do you think that he's..."

Misato shook her head. "No. I don't think he's dead."

"How are you so certain?"

Misato smiled. "I just know that's all."

Rei didn't turn to greet Misato. "I see. Then, I believe the same thing as well."

"We'll see him again Rei."

"I know. Goodnight Misato."

"Goodnight Rei."

The women went to leave, closing her door behind her. When she was sure she was gone, Rei withdrew an object from her pocket. It was Shinji's SDAT player, the one he use to carry with him. Now, whenever she was lonely and wanted her brother, Rei would play it to ease her mind.

The blue haired girl popped the headphones into her ears and hit play. Seconds later, the soft sounds of cello strings sung into her ears. The melody was beautiful, soothing as the warm touch of the summer winds against her skin.

And on the balcony, Rei started to cry once more.

Misato closed her door and went to lie down on her bed. She sniffled, wiping her eyes as she changed into her sleeping attire. By the time she laid down, she was crying again.

The past three years had been hard and now it would get even harder. She didn't tell Rei the bad news because it would break hers and all of their friends' hearts.

The UN had considered the fact that Shinji had already committed suicide. Last month, they posted a notice stating that Shinji Ikari had committed suicide several months ago.

"We can't afford to waste more time and energy searching for him. Not when we have better trained pilots then him at our disposal. "was what a spokesman from the UN had said.

Nothing had happened since concerning the Solders. They suspected that they had gone into hiding since the UN special forces had targeted them. They had bases all over the world in the United States, the Middle East and most of Europe. However, it could take months, years for them to all be hunted down.

Still, she had to believe like Rei did. Shinji was alive and they would find him someday. And in the meantime, all she could do was hope.

Then, there was Asuka. That had been a sore topic over the past two years. After she woke from her coma, just months after Shinji had left; Asuka shunned all kinds of human contact. The few times Misato went to visit her during recovery were horrible. Misato had seen the redhead enraged before and had always encouraged her mental health, but what she had seen before shook her to the core and what was said left deep cuts in her soul.

Eventually, Asuka recovered enough to where she was able request a transfer and move back to Germany. Misato had been at the airport the day she left. She remembered begging her to stay with her in Japan.

Asuka didn't seem to listen or for that matter, care to listen. She said not a word, not even a goodbye. She just got on the plane and left without saying a word to anybody, not even to her best friend, Hikari Horaki who had come to see her off.

Unit 02 was also shipped back to the Berlin branch. From what she heard, after a year of psychological treatment to help deal with the trauma she had received at the hands of the 15th Angel, Asuka managed to synchronize with Unit 02 again. The only other thing Misato had heard about Asuka since then was that she had returned to the University of Berlin to continue her education in Bio Chemistry. She would have her masters soon before she even turned 18.

Misato sighed as she lay down on her bed. Three of the people she had ever cared about and never told were gone from her life. One was dead, another possibly was to and the last wanted nothing to do with her. If it wasn't for Rei, she would probably have given up long ago.

Misato muttered something before letting her exhaustion carry her to sleep. "Shinji, if you're out there. If you're still alive, please come home. We need you. Please, just come back to us."

Meanwhile, on one of Osaka's beaches, Shinji walked along the shoreline. The sun had went down about four or five hours ago. He wasn't too sure, but he was pretty sure it would soon be midnight. He spent his day off watching a little TV, going to the arcade a little, but for the most part he spent it wondering the town.

He looked at the darkened sky before closing his eyes and letting the breeze pass over him. He really loved the peacefulness of this place. The warm air often helped clear his thoughts and made him relax. It helped forget about everything, even if it were just for a little while.

He was pretty sure he was the only one down on the beach; say except the boy and girl around his age that he found making out in the sand. He had decided to leave before they decided to get really serious.

He felt the usual pangs of jealously that he felt when he saw such a thing. In a way, he hated seeing people living their lives and in the same sense, he envied them. All his life had ever been was pain and suffering from when he was five. He often wondered what it would be like to be normal and if he would ever get the chance one day.

Even though he had the chance given to him many times by girls that were older and of the same age, he couldn't do it. Love was something that he wanted for so long. He knew that the girls he knew thought they saw something in him that was not true. It was a lie, like the rest of his life, one that he fabricated to protect himself.

Still, Shinji couldn't bring himself to seek that affection. That would be using them, almost like his father, Misato and NERV had used him. He was also far away from putting the entire Angel War incident behind him. A girlfriend was something he didn't need yet or more importantly, shoulder some of the burden from his past on.

He opened his eyes and continued walking staring at the sand in front of him. What he didn't know was that out of a now where oblivious a mysterious figure appeared from nowhere in front of him. None of his or her features could be seen as they were cloaked in white and concealed by a hood.

He continues to walk until he ran into whom ever it is, knocking him down on to ground, exposing the person's face.

"Oh. I'm sorry I didn't see you..."

He stopped as he saw what sitting person looked like. It was a girl in her early teens, possibly fourteen or fifteen years of age. She had pale white skin that seemed even whiter in the moonlight. Her hair was short, similar to Yuki's but its color was unnatural, a deep forest green or something like that.

Her eyes was what made him freak out. They were the all too familiar, crimson red, just like Rei and Kaoru. As a matter of fact, she looked like she could pass for Rei's sister except for the color of her hair.

He felt his pulse quicken, fear and paranoia taking control. He turned around and began to walk away very fast from her, trying hard not to be rude and run. That girl reminded him of his past life, the same life he was struggling to forget.

He didn't get far when he heard her call to him. "You are running away again, Shinji Ikari."

He froze in his tracks, paralyzed completely. His worst fears had finally come true, NERV had found him. They were going to take him back or even worst, they were going to kill him for leaving. He willed himself to move, but knew it was futile. Section 2 agents were probably up and down the beach, probably carrying high powered military assault rifles just ready to put a hole in his skull...

She walked towards him. "You can relax, Shinji Ikari. I do not work for the organization NERV or any organizations that are currently searching for you, whether it be to kill you or to take you back."

Shinji felt himself getting mad and felt the need to go on the offensive. As convincing as she sounded, he didn't buy it, not for a second.

"Liar! Otherwise, you wouldn't know who I am! Other then NERV, there are only two people in this entire town who know me! So who sent you? Was it father? Was it Misato or Ritsuko? What the hell else do they want from me?"

The girl seemed to be ignoring him as she came closer, a few feet away. "Let us say young Ikari, I work for an authority higher then NERV." she said casually.

Shinji once again was begin to feel cold and started to shiver even more. This woman scared him, he didn't know how, but he could swear he had met her before

"Who are you?" he asked.

The red eyed woman looked at him passively and wore an expression less mask. "You know me very well Shinji. After all, I was there when you came to Tokyo, three years ago."

"I don't follow." he said in a confused, but scared tone.

The girl finally answered his question.

"My name is Sacheil. We know each other Shinji Ikari. Very well in fact. After all, I was the first Angel you ever defeated."

Meanwhile somewhere in the Pacific Ocean, a thousand miles away from the coast of Japan, the UN'S combined fleet, along with the super carrier Over The Rainbow patrolled the waters.

Ever since the end of the infamous war now known as the Angel War, the problems had just begun. The UN was determined to be on alert at all times including the dispatching of all Navy fleets and armed forces. After all peace was so fragile to begin with, especially after the war they had been through. All it would take is one little slip up and there would be war.

"Ah, good evening Admiral, all is well I take it?" replied a voice over a phone.

An older man in normal navel garb was on the other end. His dark beady eyes stared at the endless dark blue in front of the ship. He had a beard, which was the same gray color as his hair.

The old man took a second to consider all the world had been through. Theory had survived an invasion by a mysterious group of creatures in which they fought them with giant robots. Chaos had ensued everywhere, including against this very fleet three years ago when they encountered the Sixth Angel.

Of course the world hadn't awakened through the end of the nightmarish war in the safest waters. Nations hardly trusted each other, Japan at the top of all nations list. Only a few nations such as the United States, England, China, Germany and Australia had NERV facilities in them and they were under strict control of the UN.

They faced numerous terrorist threats around the world, mainly from the reformed Al Quida terrorist network and the Solders Of God. Although they couldn't prove the two had a connection, it was a good assumption that they were working together. The new Al Quida and SOG shared two common enemies: the UN and NERV. They had attacked as separate factions, but it seemed that they were attacking anything that had to do with the two. Last month alone, there had been three bombings and assassination incidents resulting in the death of 10 people. All of which were employees of NERV.

Still things could be worst. 'After all there were no more Angels.' he thought

"All is well sir. Nothing new to report." he reported to the, an on the other line.

"Good then I guess-" The call was interrupted with static and screeching."

"What the Hell?" the old man replied glancing at the phone.

"Sir, were detecting electro magnetic interference. We've lost power for some odd reason."

He was about to say "You don't need to state the obvious twit.", but was cut off by the sound of an explosions. His eyes lit up as he ran over to the side window. Two more explosions echoed as he reached the window.

He gasped in fear. Four ships were sinking in pieces and a second; he witnessed the destruction of the Fifth.

"Mary mother of God..."

"Sir your orders." one of his officers called.

He ran over and snatched the microphone. "All ships! This is your Admiral! Fire at will! I repeat! Fire at will!"

They fire, but nothing seems to be working. Guided torpedoes, turret guns, missiles, everything they had. It's almost as if the were being blocked by something. And the Admiral was afraid that he knew what it was.

'No! It isn't possible...they're suppose to all be dead!'

The ships continue to fall one after the other in succession, until all that is left is the super carrier. The crew looks on in horror, in scary anticipation of their coming demise. Seconds pass by, and appears that the attacker may have left. One of the crewmembers, the Admiral's first mate let out a sigh of relief and security

All of sudden a massive explosion rocks the ship splashing water onto the deck. The crew shielded their eyes in fright in fear to look at what was going on. Finally, the Admiral looked up to see the grim reaper of his fleet and perhaps his own soul.

A monstrous figure was hovering just above the deck, it looks human in away, but at the same time it isn't. Its body was black and white, covered with skin that looks to be always wet, like a whale or dolphins. It was shaped like a human. Its head was like that of a bare white human skull but its face was somewhat of a twisted cross of wolf and eagle, with a long red beak with canine like teeth slightly exposed of over its lips. Its arms were replaced with large, thick blades that glisten and glare in the moonlight. In the center of its chest was a black sphere in the middle of its chest.

The creature narrowed its ugly yellow eyes at the boat before drawing one of its blades back and thrusting it forth with a loud shriek. The admiral screams as the blade slice through the deck, causing fire to shot forth from the ship as it explodes. The ship then begins to make its long journey to join its comrades in the abyss.

Fully satisfied, it opens its beaked mouth and lets a loud shrill of victory. It then faces its next destination, the city known as Tokyo 3. It dives in to the water to head to its next targeted destination, almost salivating in anticipation of the destruction it was ready to cause.

Meanwhile, Shinji was staring at confusion at the so called "Angel" that stood before her. Who was this loon? Perhaps NERV had decided to play a cruel joke on him. Perhaps someone else.

"The Third Angel? Sorry, but I'm not convinced." Shinji said a flat tone.

She didn't seem to surprise that he said didn't believe her. "I bear a resemblance to my brother Tarsi and my half sister Rei Ayanami, do I not? What proof do you require?"

"So what? People can dye there hair and put on red contacts. I don't know. Maybe you're nothing more then a clever look a like."

Despite the retort, Sacheil still wore an expressionless face; one that made Shinji shiver at the memory of Rei. "Then how can I prove that I am what I say am?" she asked.

Shinji thought about it for a second before grinning. He knew she wasn't an Angel and he knew of one thing that all Angels that he fought could do.

"Okay if you're an Angel, then use your AT field to block my punch."

Sacheil looked at him with a face that was still impassive, yet showed how dumbfounded she was. "You've got to be joking?"

"Oh, I'm serious. All of the Angels can use an AT field, right? Sacheil nodded. "Good that means that you should be able to use one too."

"But you could be seriously injured-"

She didn't finish as he brought his fist back and threw it at her. Sighing, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the light of her soul. Her body shimmered in a pale light for a second as Shinji's fist neared her face...

Only to be blocked by a small field of a hexagons. Shinji's eyes lit up in shock, but then turned to contorted pain as his wrist as if he had punched concrete. He let out a scream of pain as he dropped to his knees to nurse his knuckles, which were bleeding slightly…not to mention broken.

"Now do you believe me?" she asked opening her eyes.

However, Shinji wasn't there. Confused, the angel turned to see that he was running for dear life in the opposite direction. He was also screaming with all he had for help.

The green haired Angel shook her head. "This is going to be harder then I thought."

Shinji was running as fast as legs could take him. He glanced back to see if the Angel was following him. He didn't think she was telling the truth, that she was that type of Angel.

Now a million and one worries ran through his mind. Was it going to hunt him down? Was it going to rip the flesh from his bones? Was it going to play with him, torment and torture slowly before she killed him? Was it going to-?

"I will if you try that again."

He stopped running to see that Sacheil was in front of him. He backed away in fear, but she put her hand up in a peaceful gesture.

"I'm not going to harm you. I'm here to talk to you. That's all. Now, let me take a look at your hand."

Shinji, who still felt ill at ease, accepted the weird statement. After all, no matter where he went she would catch him. Maybe it was for the best if he just listened. He timidly raised his hand to the Angel for her to inspect.

Sacheil ran her hands over the injury, holding it gently. Before Shinji could ask what she was doing, the Angel's plea hands began to glow. Instantly, Shinji felt his hand become bathed in warmth that caressed not only his injured hand, but the rest of his body and his mind at the same time.

When the light faded, Sacheil released his hand. The fearful boy examined it, noting that the pain had left. His hand was completely healed with not even a scratch on it.

Sacheil spoke. "See, I mean you no ill harm Shinji Ikari."

Regardless of this, Shinji still didn't trust the green haired Angel, not even in the slightest bit. "Sorry, if I don't sound to convince" he replied sarcastically.

The Angel either didn't detect the harsh and perhaps fearful tone behind Shinji's voice. Or perhaps she ignored it. "That is fine. It is normal for you Lilluim not to be convinced by that which is beyond your comprehension."

Shinji sighed. "Look, what do you want? I doubt that someone like you simply came to find me on a beach just so you can have a little chit chat."

Sacheil glanced around and saw that the same two people Shinji saw earlier were past out. Apparently, they had been too drunk to finish what they were doing.

"Not here. We shall go to your dwelling and speak there."

He blinked in confusion, but chose not to argue. "Okay... then let's go."

He went to turn to leave, but instead she placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked at her. "Oh what are you-"

"Silence for a moment. And you may want to close your eyes. "

Not wanting to know what she was doing, he obliged. He felt a weird tingling all over his body and could feel strange warmth all over him. He would have opened his eyes, but the feeling went away and the Angel removed her hand.

"You may look now."

He opened his eyes, blinking in surprise. They were in a place that looked exactly like the old apartment that belonged to the Seitos. As a matter of fact, it was his apartment! He walked around looking at it for a moment, in awe over what was going on.

He saw her take a seat at his kitchen table. "You may want to sit down. I'll try to be brief, but it won't be easy to hear what I am about to say."

He went over and took his seat. "What do you mean? What is this about?" he said sitting down.

"I'm getting to that, but first I want ask you a question Shinji Ikari and I want you to answer truthfully."

"Okay... I guess."

"Do you believe in god?"

Shinji looked at her with another confused look. "Huh?"

She continued. "Do you believe in Heaven and hell? Do you believe in fate and destiny?"

Shinji was silent for a moment before he answered, "I'm not so sure what you mean."

"In case of you are wondering, heaven and hell exist. There is a god and a devil. About roughly 50 of what you have been lead to believe is actually true, the other 50 is a lie. The rest is what I have come to talk to you"

Shinji shook his head. "I'm sorry, but why are you telling me this? To tell you the truth, I never believed in God or heaven. And if it did exist, I doubt I'd be going there. "

She ignored his negative comment about himself and smiled. "I thought you would never ask." she said as she looked up at him directly in his face. "Tell me Shinji. Have you ever wondered about why everything happened that way it did? Why the event you call the Second Impact took place and why the angels attacked mankind?"

Shinji looked at her with a look of surprise on his face. "What do you mean?" he asked.

The angel's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure you really want to know? The truth won't be so easy to hear. And why it affects you will bring you nothing more then pain and sorrow, even more then what you are currently fighting within your heart at the current moment."

Shinji turned away. "Then why are you telling me this? Why do you want to tell me whatever it is you're trying to tell me when you know it will bring me nothing, but pain?"

Sacheil paused before continuing. "Because you derive to know. About all that is has come to past and all that is soon going to come. And with this knowledge, I am giving you the power to do something about it. I am giving you the power to save your self and those you care about along with it."

"What are talking about?" Shinji asked. "What is this all about?"

"Then, do you want to know?"

Shinji paused; did he really want to know why everything had happened? Part of him feared the truth, like it would cause him more pain then bring him understanding.

That was why what he said next surprised him and would surprise him for many years to come.

"Yes... I do."

"Are you sure? What I am going to tell you will hurt you and change your life forever." Sacheil asked again. "However, in telling you this, you might just survive."

Shinji hesitated, but nodded again. "Yeah I want to know."

She closed her eyes. "Very well, then let us start from the beginning. Long before you existed, there was God and only God. As you know he, the great creator, made and molded everything on all planes of existence. Among them were we, the Celestials or what you beings call the Angels, who were born from fire and spirit. We served our father unconditionally, with the purest of love ever thought possible.

"However, after untold ages of peace, our love was shattered. Many eons before mankind existed at all, the first true war broke out in the heavens. It was between the warriors of God, the one's who served and loved the light against the most powerful of our kind. A fallen one who succumbed to the darkness and his name was Lucifer, but you know him as Satan or the Devil.

"Lucifer was perfect and powerful in every way. He was the greatest of our kind and the closest to God. And God loved Lucifer, perhaps even more then the rest of our kind. And it was from that love and affection, that darkness and true evil was born into existence."

"Lucifer turned from God, right?" Shinji asked.

Sacheil nodded. "You know the story."

"A little. I was never much of a church person, but my Aunt and Uncle who raised me were converted Christians. My friend Yuki is a Christian too, I think. Anyway, I heard this story from both of them."

Sacheil nodded. "Good. Then, allow me to continue. As you said before, Lucifer eventually began to turn from God. In his beauty and perfection, Lucifer developed vanity for himself and envy for God. As time went by, Lucifer no longer desired to be at God's side, but to rule over him."

"Eventually, Lucifer began to recruit those towards his kind. Thousands upon thousands of our own kind flocked to his side in sheer fear of his own power or after being changed by their own greed. A war against God began; one that lasted for many millennia.

Sacheil's voice quivered slightly. "Many of our kind were destroyed on both sides and the clouds of heaven were stained red with the blood of Angels."

Shinji put his hands up. "Hold on a second. Angels. They can die?"

"Yes, we can. Though we Celestials are long living beings who are far beyond the comprehension and strength of your kind, the Lilluim, the human race, we are far from being invincible. In reality even we cannot avoid death and demise."

"Then why aren't you dead? I killed you, right?"

"That's rather complicated to explain right now, but let's just say you defeated me and the others from three years ago. You never killed me or the rest of my kind. You don't have the power at your hand to erase us from existence. Not even with you powerful weapon, the goliath known as Evangelion.

"Now back, to our story. The war finally came to an end when the most powerful warrior of our side, the Archangel Michel, defeated Lucifer and brought before God for judgment. However, God, in his great power, chose not to destroy his once beloved child. Instead, He banished Lucifer to another portion of heaven along with the rest of his followers, where His light could never reach. This place is what you call Hell.

It was thought that this would be the end, but it was only the beginning."

"What do you mean?" Shinji asked. "If Lucifer is locked away forever, then what could possibly happen?"

"Despite his defeat, our kind knew that Lucifer wouldn't be held down forever. And we were right. Soon, after his imprisonment, Lucifer soon started to create an army of his own. An army that he would one day use to destroy the rest of my kind and God himself. He almost succeeded, but our creator thwarted his plans.

You see Shinji, Lucifer tried to exact his revenge on God through a being known as Lillith, who was the first being who walked upon this earth. Using his seductive charm, Lucifer wanted to lure Lillith to his side, so he could use her in his attempt to strike back at God.

"In any event, Lucifer succeeded. He turned Lillith to his favor and she, like him, feel from grace. She consorted with him and together, they created another race. One created from dust and shadow. These became known to our kind as the Scourge. However, your kind knows them by a different name: Demons.

"Scourge? Demons?"

"Yes. They are our sworn enemies since the dawn of their existence. Lucifer created them to be his army in his final attack on the heavens. However, before he could attempt such an attack, our kind stopped Lucifer once again. It was then God created a door, Hell's gate if you will, to prevent him from ever leaving his prison ever again."

"However, every door needs a lock to hold it steady. So our lord sent a being to earth thousands of years prior as this lock and a gatekeeper. To prevent this time lock from coming undone, God created such a gatekeeper. That is the creature you Lilluim codenamed Adam."

Shinji looked surprised. "You mean the giant of light? The First Angel Adam? The one that caused the Second Impact?"

"Yes. Also, fifteen members of our kind were sent to protect Adam at all cost. Myself, along with Shamishal, Ramiel, Gaghiel, Israfel, Sandalfon, Materiel, Sahqueil, Iruel, Leilel, Baridiel, Zeruel, Arael, Almmasel and Tabris were those guardians. All was well… until September 10th, 2000."

"The Second Impact." Shinji whispered under his breath.

"Yes. When you found him and awoke him, you caused his power to become unstable. That was how the Second Impact took place."

Shinji was silent. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. If what she said was correct, then that meant that it was never the Angels that attacked first. It was the human race. They had caused the deaths of millions of people.

Sacheil continued. "When the Second Impact occurred, we were afraid that door would open. Fortunately, Adam survived, but we forced to wait fifteen years in order to find out were he was. When we finally went on our hunt for Adam, we found that you humans used his power to create weapons, clones of the powerful goliath of light to use as weapons. The Evangelions."

Shinji winced at her bitter tone of voice. For a moment, Shinji could feel the wraith of the green haired Celestial in the air. The boy was more then a little fearful of the being that stood before him.

"Thus, we, the Celestials went the war with your kind in an attempt to recover what was left of Adam….and to prevent your kind from misusing the power you had acquired. One by one, however, we fell in combat against you Shinji, you and your comrades. Another twist of fate. And with each of our surprises, our fear grew. However, it wasn't until you left Tokyo 3 after killing our brother Tabris that our worst fears came into existence" Sacheil said.

'Tabris.' Shinji thought. 'She must mean Karworu.'

Images of the gray haired Angel with his usual polite, yet disturbing smile on his face cam to Shinji's mind. Shinji shuddered in fear and in sorrow as those same images were replaced by the sight of his EVA crushing Karowu like a bug in his hand. He could still feel the body of his poor friend turning into mush, his bones poking his hand. He could remember the sound of poor Kawrou's head falling from above to the ground below.

"Shinji"

Shinji looked up as Sacheil continued. "Here is what you must know is this. Adam… has been destroyed."

Shinji noted the Angel's change in tone. For the first time during the entire conversation with the supernatural being, Shinji saw something in human in those crimson eyes and that pale face.

It was fear.

"So does that mean that-"

Sacheil nodded slowly. "Yes, the gate was opened that day, but however there is still hope."

Shinji frowned. "What do you mean? I thought that if Adam was destroyed then the Gates were opened."

"Yes, but we also had another lock. A failsafe is what you Lilluim would call. The being who resides underneath your fortress known as NERV. The traitor, Lillith."

The creepy image flashed in Shinji's head. A massive white being hammered in place on a red cross. Shinji shivered at the sight which he witnessed while battling Karwou.

"Lillith, the being your kind calls the Second Angel." Sacheil said. "For her betrayal God assigned her the task of serving as the second gatekeeper the gate of hell; forever separated from Lucifer and her dark children. She is the presence that holds Lucifer at bay. She is the final key to the Dark gate."

"Second Angel? What is this all about?

Sacheil smiled a thin smile. "Unfortunately, that is another story and on that I cannot afford to tell right now. What is important is this. So long as Lillith exists, the dark one cannot come from those gates."

Shinji was about to let out a sigh of relief when she closed her eyes and sighed. "However, there is a problem. The door was cracked open as a result of Adam's death, and over the course of three years, it grew big enough for Lucifer to… send something through"

"Something…through?" Shinji said slowly.

"Messengers. Dark messengers."

Shinji gulped. "Messengers?"

"Power scourge; demons with near infinite power. They are known as Sin. There is one creature for each of the seven sins."

"Seven...devils?"

"Yes. Gluttony, Sloth, Envy, Pride, Greed, Lust, and Wraith. Seven monsters each one more powerful then the last. Each one a thousand times more powerful then the forms my kind took three years ago. They are here for one mission Shinji, to destroy Lillith and release their master into this world."

Shinji stood there wide-eyed digesting the words. 'This can't be right. First Angels, now Devils. Each one a thousand times more powerful? This is unreal. But why is this happening to me? Why do I need to know?'

It was then Shinji realized the cold hard truth. There was always reasons for everything and there was only one reason for this. He could feel himself grow pale as he began to fear the truth.

Sacheil looked over at him with a dead serious look that seem to pierce his soul and read his mind. "You are no fool Shinji Ikari. You know in your heart why I have come here."

Thoughts and images began to form in his head. They were of a demon, a towering giant and monster of purple, green and black with a single horn on its head. He could see its pale white eyes glowing as its stare burned into his soul. The eyes of the demon machine he piloted. The eyes of Evangelion Unit 01.

Shinji tried to speak, but couldn't. His entire body was shaking and he couldn't stop. "You mean to tell me...that I...I have to-"

Sacheil finished his sentence for him. "Yes Shinji. You must return to Tokyo 3 and do battle once more."

The words seem to echo through out the room as Shinji sat in shock for a moment. This was no longer unreal, no longer a dream. This was a nightmare. The worst possible nightmare.

Shinji shook his head, holding back his tears. "No…No! I can't! I can't go back! You can't make me do this again!"

"If you do not, then the Devils will destroy Lillith and that will be the end of all life on this planet. And then, he will take his fight to our creator and destroy the heavens, thus plunging this world into darkness once again." Sacheil replied passively.

Shinji argued back, panicked. "Then why don't you fight them? Why doesn't God or Michel or the rest of the Angels? Why?"

Sacheil looked away, once again displaying sorrow. "We are not allowed to interfere by orders of our creator."

"Why? Has he turned his back on us? Has God left us all to die?" Shinji spat. "Are we not worth saving?"

"I can't say."

Shinji glared at her with anger. "And why not?"

Sacheil for the first time glared right back at him. "Do not speak ill of the creator. If I knew, then I would tell you. The creator's will and reason is unknown, more importantly to his own children. So I don't know. All I know is that if you don't return to Tokyo 3 by tomorrow night, then that entire city will be destroyed, with everyone in it"

Instead of acting like he cared, Shinji laughed bitterly, coldly, much like his father. "I don't care. They can all die for all I care. Besides, why can't you use Asuka or Rei or some other person?" he said with venom. "Why does it have to be me? Haven't I suffered enough?"

Sacheil was silent for a moment before answering. "Because there is nobody else. You are the only one who can truly do something about it. However, only you can truly decide what you want to do with your life and how you spend your days. No one can decide for you, not I, not the rest of my kind, not any of your kind and not even the Creator.

"You decide, but know this. The fate of all life on this planet rests on your shoulders and not just those whom you left behind, but those who you have come to consider your family."

Shinji was speechless. This wasn't fair! This couldn't be happening. If he didn't go, then everybody he knew, past and present, could die. But if he went, then he would be used again and forced to walk down a pith of death and chaos once more. Either way, the avenue of choices was narrow and thin.

Sacheil spoke once more as she stood up. "As we speak, the first Devil, Gluttony, is less then a day away from NERV. If you decide to go, I will take you to Tokyo 3. You must decide by then mourning."

Shinji stared in disbelief. He had to make the hardest decisions in his life and he had less then 10 hours to do so. This just wasn't his day. Shinji said nothing as he pondered his most important decision in his life. A decision that would affect everybody in the world it would seemed.

"Remember Shinji," Sacheil said. "Whatever you decide is your will, no one else's. Now you must decide if saving yourself is worth the loss of everyone you have ever known. Farewell."

"Hey wait-"

Shinji didn't get the chance to finish. The Angel enveloped herself in a bright light that gave off an almost fiery warmth that made his skin burn as if he had been out in the sun all day. It grew brighter and Shinji was eventually forced shield his eyes as it grew even bigger and bigger.

Then it faded away in an instant. Shinji opened his eyes to find there was no one else in the room with him. He was all alone again. Alone, with only a dark past lurking in the shadows of his mind and an uncertain future to ponder.

Shinji sat for a few moments staring at the wall. Finally, he felt himself start to cry. He balled up his fist and slammed them against the table as hard as he could. He pounded and pounded over and over again.

"Why?...Why me?"

Meanwhile on a building in Tokyo Three, a lone male figure in black stood upon a rooftop, staring towards the direction of the sea. His long black hair sweeps in the wind as he continues to stare with his red eyes towards the sea….and the coming tide of destruction.

"Soon. It will be soon." He whispered to himself.

He turns, as he senses a presence of another approaching behind him. "How did it go Sacheil?"

Sacheil had a grim look on her face as she walked to stand beside him. "Now well, Zeruel, like I thought he would. His mind is filled with pain and his soul shakes with fear. Do you believe it was wise to tell him truth?"

The Angel of Might spoke, "Those were our orders. Do not fear, he will pilot. It has been foreseen since the dawn of time that the chosen one would rise."

Sacheil "And if he is not? Is it still wise to place the existence of everything on his shoulders? A great deal more then the Lilluim hangs in the balance. "

Zeruel gave a small smile. "If there is anybody who can, it is him. We should know better then anyone, my sister. We both fought him and we both know that he is the only one that can."

"He's still just a child Zeruel. A hopeless little child."

"That child is humanity's last hope."

Author's notes: This chapter has had a lot of changes made to it that will affect the story. Mainly, this has to do with Asuka. After seriously thinking about it, I thought that it would be better for Asuka to be out of her coma because it would allow me to get her involved sooner. Also, with the slight drama we saw in this chapter that has come with the character, I think it will make for some interesting results.

I wanted to explain more of the back story too. More on how Lillith fits into this story and her true role will be explained later as well as were humanity fits into this mess. Her role is very similar to her role in the Anime and the movie, but with a few changes.

This was hard and was one of the reasons why I originally discontinued the fanfic. The differences between the real myths in religion and the Evangelion storyline sort of conflicted with one another. So, I had to take the time and write my own back-story, one that used the Evangelion story, but did the myths some justice. I hope that readers find this compromise satisfying.

I decided to also leave out the part about Sacheil telling Shinji about Gendo's death and Rei being his sister. It will be far more interesting if Shinji finds out on his own.

I cannot implore you the importance of rewriting these chapters. Originally, I didn't know how I was going to finish this story. Now that I have a working plot line from start to finish in my head (but one that can be tweaked and changed a little to ensure surprises), I am more then sure it will be easier to finish the rest of the story.

Again, I'm sorry for the delay, but please, be patience. Now stuff is one the way very, very soon.

-B.C. Sealey


	5. Chapter 3: See You Later

Disclaimer: See Page One

Final War Evangelion

By: B.C. Sealey

Chapter Three: So You Later

_Osaka 2. The upstairs apartment of the Seito house_

Shinji let out a groan as he heard somebody pound at his door. He tried to ignore it; his sleep was calling him to pick up where he had left off. The door pounded again and he took a glance at his clock. It was 10:30 in the mourning. He had slept in late.

It was then when thoughts came back from last night. The mysterious green haired woman, Sacheil and her cryptic warnings. The arrival of the first messenger of Lucifer was to take place according to her in less then twelve hours. It would destroy the entire city and everyone in it unless he returned and piloted Evangelion Unit 01 against it.

The door pounded again and this time so did his head. He grasped his temple in agony as he finally remembered what happened last night. He had trying to convince himself that what had happened was an illusion and he did it over a few beers from the 12 pack that Yuki had given him as a present.

In other words, he had got plastered and thus passed out on his couch.

He didn't remember much after number four, no, wait a second. It was number five or six wasn't it? He really didn't know. He had never been drunk before in his life and now that he had finally reached the goal, he was now trying to comprehend why exactly people got drunk.

Was it to escape reality? A temporary leave of absence from one's stressful and otherwise troublesome regular life? Shinji really didn't know and the more he thought about it, the more his skull felt like it was being smashed in with a jackhammer.

The pounding came again and this time he pulled himself off the couch, sending him crashing to the ground. He looked around and saw the clutter of beer cans around him and one thing was self evident. He defiantly had more then six. Try maybe double the amount and an entire bottle of Sake that his co worker had also given him.

Just how drunk did he get last night?

The door pounded again and he jumped up, nearly meeting the wall in an embrace. "I'm coming! I'm coming!"

He stumbled through his apartment, trying hard to avoid running into furniture. His head was gripped with pain. He really needed a shower. He got to the door reached to unlock it and...

He paused. What if last night wasn't a dream? If so, then he could be opening his door to see a familiar green haired Angel who expected his decision. What if last night wasn't a dream? What if the world was coming to an end today?

It pounded again and this time Shinji felt like his skull was being trampled on by a herd of elephants. He grasped his skull in agony before reaching and unlocking the latch. He then opened the door almost expecting to see green hair and blood red eyes staring at him...

Only to be gratefully disappointed. It was only Yuki with her long black hair in a pony tail, wearing her usual casual attire of jeans and a shirt.

"Hi Akito. What took you so long to- My god! What the hell happened to you?"

He cringed as her voice sounded like it had been amplified EVA sized. "Easy, not so loud..."

She took a second to study him before moving her nose over and taking a sniff. She brought her head back in disgust. "God, you smell like you've been at one of those all night college drinking parties."

He sniffed himself. Maybe it would be best if he took a shower. He grasped his head again and let out another moan of agony. She looked at him with a strange look.

"You've been drinking, haven't you?"

"Yeah, how did you guess?" he replied sarcastically.

She sighed. "Never mind. I probably don't want to know just yet."

"Why are you here?" he asked letting her in and following her into the living room where he had slept.

She kneeled to examine the remains from his little party. "Mr. Seito and Mrs. Seito were worried when you didn't call last night, but they couldn't leave the restaurant. Some big time board members from Kyoto decided to choose our little restaurant for their lunch. So they're both pretty busy."

She held up the bottle of empty Sake. "The entire 12 pack and the bottle I gave you? What the fuck were you thinking? Were you trying to kill yourself over!"

Shinji cringed again in pain. God, he was never going to get drunk again. "Do you mind lowering your voice a little?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. I'll clean up and make some tea. It may not help too much, but it'll relax you a little. You go take a shower."

"Will that help too?"

She laughed slightly. "No, not really. It's for the smell."

He glared at her as she giggled. "Well that's a good sign. You're acting like your normal self."

"Whatever. It's good to know I have a friend like you." he said once again with sarcasm.

"I know, but still. I wasn't kidding about the shower."

He lowered his head defeated. "Okay. Okay. I'm going."

After going to his room and getting a spare change of clothes, Shinji was in the shower. The cold water ran down his body, causing him to shiver at first, but relax after a few minutes. He glanced up at the shower head as it continued to rain down on him.

However the thoughts that he had been thinking hadn't gone away. 'It had to be a dream... right?

If Yuki wasn't worried, then that would be considered a lie. As the twenty year old picked up the pieces to her younger friend's fun evening, she couldn't help. She began to wonder the party was for. That is if she could consider it a party.

Judging from how he looked, he seemed more depressed then usual. Almost as if the dark rainy cloud that followed him jumped up and became a tsunami of full angst. It was indeed a pathetic site to behold and she couldn't help, but feel sorry for him even more. She really wanted to reach to him, to help him, but she didn't know how or if she could.

After she finished picking up the twelve cans and the bottle of Sake, she dispatched her loot to the garbage can. She then prepared the tea and got out some cups. She could hear him turn off the shower.

It was then she heard somebody knock at the door. She looked up at the door in wonder of who it could be. She didn't know or think that Akito was expecting anybody. He had other friends, but other then herself and the Seitos, none of them hardly ever came over to visit.

She shrugged and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it. Why did it matter anyway? Maybe it was his secret girlfriend that her friends use to think he had.

'I'll bet she's ether seriously ugly, bald or overweight.' she thought mischievously.

"May I help..."

She took a second to look at the site before her wondering what the heck was going on. She knew that her friends sometimes teased about the fact that he had a secret girlfriend, but she never suspected that it may possibly be true.

However, that wasn't what was wrong. The fact that the girl before her had green hair, freaky pale white skin and crimson red eyes that reminded her of blood. She was cloaked in white robes. It was a freakish site all together, so much that she couldn't help, but stare.

The girl didn't seem to be bothered by this. "I am here to speak with Shinji Ikari."

_Tokyo 3. Commander Katsargi's office._

"Are these reports accurate?" Misato asked

Her sub commander, Lt Colonel Hyuga nodded. "Yes, last night around 1800 hours, the entire U.N. fleet was completely destroyed." he explained.

She shook her head as she looked over the reports. She took a look at one photo, the one of the super carrier and more importantly, the bladed creature that destroyed it.

"The media is probably having a field day over this one."

"Yeah, but the good news is that we have done a pretty good job of not giving them too much information. They seem to think that SOG and Al Quida were behind this attack somehow. A good cover up, but I doubt the public will believe it for long. They are not as ignorant as they use to be."

Misato nodded. "The last thing we need is for the world to thrown into panic. That would really complicate matters, but it seems inevitable."

"But... do you really think that they have returned? I thought the fifth was the seventeenth and final one."

She sighed and as she took a sip from her coffee. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure if it could be called an Angel."

He looked at her with a perplexed look. "What do you mean? It had a wavelength pattern and it was using an AT field. What else could it be?"

She got up and "Well we did get a wavelength pattern, but the Magi declared it was of unknown origin. Maya ran the pattern with a match up of the other Angels patterns. It came back as a negative match showing no resemblance to any of the targets from three years ago. It's something that we haven't even seen before."

"So what does this mean? Is it a new breed of Angel?"

She got up and walked over to her window; she looked out her window and stared out taking in the view of the Geofront. Reconstruction had taken two long years, but once again it was the mighty fortress of mankind. She still thought to this day that with its beautiful trees and lakes it was one of the most beautiful places on this earth that could be called beautiful.

"More then likely, it very well could. However, this is different. The Angels were never this hostile. They never attacked unless it was for a reason. This attack, it doesn't make sense."

Hyuga sighed. "So we can assume its coming here. Where is it now?"

"The last of our reports indicated that the target was 200 miles off shore from here. We can't track it and worst we don't even know how fast it is. It's untraceable even with our most advance technology. It also posses an AT field that rivals the power of the 17th Angel. "

He looked up in shock. "You mean it's using its field to cloak it's self from everything including light and any type of subatomic particles?"

The commander turned to face him, a stern look on her face. "Give my orders to the maintenance crews to keep all units on standby. If they ask, just say that it's because we are getting ready to run extra drills. We don't know what that thing is, where it's going or what its intentions are, but at least we won't be caught with our pants down unprepared. Also, I want the pilots debriefed on the situation just to keep them aware. I don't want to cause a panic just yet, but we need to be on the safe side."

"And what of the UN? They haven't given us orders to mobilize yet."

Misato gave him a sarcastic smile. "And when has the UN ever done anything, but cower in fear or leave us to deal with their problems. Personally, if they have a problem with it, they can get over it."

Hyuga chuckled as he saluted and left the room. After he left the room, she let her expression fall. The situation was far more grim then what she had just said. As a matter of fact, it continued to go from bad to worst to even more chaotic as the day rolled by.

She had already given her request to have all Tokyo 3 civilians evacuate and the city go to level 1 battle alert. However, the UN denied her request stating that there was no way of knowing if the target was coming to them.

"We see no reason top plunge the entire world into total chaos and mass panic. Besides, there's no proof that this creature is even going to Tokyo. For now, you are to await orders from the council and keep your pilots trained."

Her hands shook as she clutched them. Goddamn politicians! They were only concerned about protecting their own "assets". They hated having to actually getting their hands dirty, so much so that they would do anything to keep it from coming to that- even if it meant losing the lives of innocent civilians in harms way.

She sighed. It was more complicated then that. This was also a major political issue. The Evangelions hadn't been sortied in over three years. Bringing them out into live combat would more then likely cause a media uproar of displeasure and the probability of terrorist attacks would once more be on the incline.

Still, Misato wouldn't let this city fall. Not after she had lost Shinji and Asuka. It was her job to ensure mankind's survival, even if they were too ignorant to realize the truth. And she would be damned if she failed.

_Prinbrow box_

"Okay guys, the test is done. Get dressed and come to debriefing." Dr. Maya Ibuki, announced over the Communication channel to the four pilots.

"Yes ma'am." the four pilots said as the testing plugs were unlocked so they could get out.

Maya viewed them on surveillance as they all went to their separate areas to get dress. She was glad to see that they had a decent mental base and for the most part, they were in good shape. The more clear and calm the pilot's mind was, the better he or she could synchronize with the EVA.

'Can't say the same for me.' she thought.

Maya sat down for a second and yawned. She had received the position of Head of Project E shortly after Misato received the rank of Colonel for her services and exploits a year and a half ago. Before that, she officially became Dr. Ibuki when she was granted leave to finish up her last year for her doctorate in Bio Technology. The former chairperson, Dr. Ritsuko Akagi, was currently in a clinic for the insane. The trauma of years of being used mentally and physically by the former commander drove her mad, almost to the point of suicide.

Maya sighed as she reached for a bottle of water near her. Ritsuko was a hard subject for most of the staff, especially her. She had been more then just a mentor to her. She was more like an older sister or a mother, maybe even something more. Plus having the follow behind a great scientist such as her often made it hard, even though her friends said she was doing fine.

Maya finished drinking her water and threw the bottle away in a small wastebasket as she walked out of the Prinbrow box to the debriefing room. She thought about the orders and the possible coming battle. It would be the first in over three years and it was her first as Head Of Project E. To tell the truth, she was feeling more then just a little nervous.

'Sempai. I wish you were here, I don't know if I can do this by myself.'

Rei, still clad in her skin tight white plug suit, quietly walked towards the locker room after another day of testing and simulations. Being the only pilot left with combat experience required her to be in top form constantly. However, ever since she was free from Gendo Ikari, Rei found her self able to clear her mind more, thus enabling her to be a much more effective pilot.

The blue haired girl stopped and glanced towards a window opposite of her in the hall. She didn't need to go any closer to see the contents, but she did anyway. After a few moments, she walked towards a door adjacent to them and called up an access elevator, which she rode to the top. After a few moments, she opened the caged door and walked out, looking at what she had come to see.

There they stood. The great weapons of mankind, the biomechanical machines called the Evangelions. Five currently stood in there separate cages, submerged in a pinkish red cooling fluid. Unit 02 had once stood here too, before it was transferred to the Berlin branch in Germany along with Asuka. Truth be told, Rei didn't miss the Second Child. That girl had hurt her brother and Misato and it was doubtful that Rei would ever forgive Asuka for that.

Rei could see that the cages were still being prepped for the three they would soon receive. She walked closer to the window to see them. Of the five, four were currently in active use. She could see her one eyed Unit 00 on the far right of the cage area. Although it was still blue and white and looked exactly like the original before it's destruction during the assault of the sixteenth Angel, it had received various upgrades including an S2 engine and an equipped progressive spear located in the lower back for easy retrieval that was able to fold and extend it's self for use.

Right in front of her Unit was Touji's Unit 03. It was almost the exact same model from three years ago, before it became the thirteenth Angel. It was still black and white with the same demonic face that could scare away all small children. It, however, featured new upgrades to the cockpit that allowed Touji to synchronize with it, even if he had his artificial limbs on. It didn't have any extra weapons other then the usual type one Progressive knife stored in the right fin. However, Touji had become quite a capable marksman, his skills rivaling her own, so he didn't really require any close range weaponry like her.

Right beside Unit 03 was the first of the two new A.P. models, Unit 05. It just arrived last month with Unit 06, so there were still technicians running about to see if everything was working properly. While she didn't know much about them, she had heard that these two models were only the prototype for the even newer models coming from England, Australia and Beijing.

Unit 05 reminded Rei a lot of Unit 02. They looked almost identical in a lot of ways as they both had four eyes, two on each side of its head. Unit 05 still had it's difference's though. Not only were its eyes red, but in the center of the forehead was a fifth eye that reminded her of Unit 00's one massive eye, only smaller. Its armor was a dark green with black and shades of white.

Finally, there was the yellow and black Unit 06, the one right beside her own Mecha. Unit 06 reminded her of Unit 01 and Unit 03 because it seem to combine facial features from both EVA's, mainly Unit 01's jaw and Unit 03's upper face.

However, what made Unit 06 unique were the massive triangular flaps on its back. Rei knew these were the newly developed flight wings were stored. They, in theory, worked like those the belonged to a bird, but she hadn't seen them in action and she knew that the pilot had only a few practice runs in the sky.

However, standing right next to Unit 06 was another EVA, a purple and green looking demon with a single horn on its head and pale white eyes that would send shivers up ones spine, if they weren't accustomed to it. It was the Evangelion that defeated the most Angels, the most legendary one of them all. A full throttled engine of destruction.

The bio-mechanical synthetic organism test type model known as Evangelion Unit 01.

Rei found herself visiting here everyday, as she tried to keep the memory of her brother alive in her heart. To ensure the hope within her heart that he would return home to be with his friends. His family.

Rei felt a tear run down her cheek, like it did every time she stared at it. She was now well accustomed to the human reaction known as crying as she now did it a lot. Misato once told her that tears had many different meanings depending on the situation. Right now, she knew she felt tears of sadness.

"I should have known I'd find you here Ayanami."

She turned to see a handsome young Japanese guy with black hair and brown eyes wearing a jet black plug suit with shades of white. His right arm and right leg were free of the suit, showing the black synthetic metal and plastic of his artificial limbs.

"Hello Touji. I take it you know what day it is." she asked.

He said nothing, instead walk forth and drawing her into a comforting embrace. He could feel her sniffling on his shoulder as she used him as a support for her emotions. Although they were not as close as boyfriend and girlfriend, he had come to accept Rei as one of his close friends, much like he did with his own little sister Mari.

"It's okay. We all miss him."

"No...it's not that. I'm fearful, more so then ever."

Touji sighed as he closed his eyes. She wasn't the only one. The others, he included, were starting to lose it, as well. He also knew that most of the students at Hikari's school longed believed that Shinji was long gone. Some, considering Gendo Ikari's suspected role in orchestrating the Second Impact, found it to be a blessing.

Needless to say, the Evangelion pilots and for the most part all of NERV, were not the most respected people on Earth. No surprise considering the public held ERV responsible for nearly bringing about the end of the world not once, but twice. It was harder on the pilots like Touji and Rei who were threatened and harassed in public on a daily bases. A trip to the mall or a nice dinner with a girlfriend…it was never the same again. Not when everyone, from the families with their children outside a department store to the waiter taking their order, always looked at them with the same eyes. The same angry, uncompromising, narrow minded and accusing eyes all the time.

In particular, school had changed for the two pilots. Touji and Rei had been harassed on a daily basis by their fellow students and the teachers. Touji had gotten in to fights on more then one occasion and even Rei herself, as quiet and calm as she was, lost her temper when a boy made the mistake of trying to get to Rei by insulting Shinji. That same boy ended up in the hospital with a broken arm, a minor concussion and various bruises all over his body. The boy's father sued NERV for damages and one a large sum that the UN had to pick up- something that they were not happy about.

To remedy this, Misato took care of their education. Misato took both pilots out of their local high school and had them schooled at NERV HQ. She hired teachers to help them finish up with their high school education. It was for their own good, despite the fact that Touji had a girlfriend, Hikari Horaki, as well as a best friend, Kensuke Aida, at school. The rest of the world was far too dangerous to the young pilots.

Touji was brought back to reality when Rei spoke. "Do you still think he will ever come back?"

Touji was silent for a moment, pondering his answer. Even though he wanted to believe his old friend was still alive, part of him had a firm belief that he was long gone. In that respect, he didn't want to put ideas of a false hope into her. That was wrong and it would only hurt her in the end.

However...

"He will. You just gotta keep believing. It may be today, tomorrow or years from now, but he will come back. I know it."

Rei smiled slightly as she dried her tears. "We better be getting to debriefing, otherwise we won't hear the end of this from the Commander."

Touji nodded as they exited the room. He thought about if he it was wrong to say what he just said. He didn't want to see Rei get hurt, but instead of worrying about it, he just shook it off.

Because sometimes hope, even when it seems false, is what kept people alive.

_Back at Shinji's apartment_

Shinji finished drying his long brown hair off. After the shower he felt better, much more refreshed. He could still feel the after effects of hangover, but it had dulled down some. Nothing a little aspirin and good sleep couldn't help cure.

Shinji had also managed to convince himself that everything that had happened last night was a figment of his imagination, a dream that he had after having one to many drinks. There were no more Angels, especially none in human form. There was not a God or a Lucifer or angry demons called Scourge named after the seven sins to cause misery. There was no reason for him to go back to Tokyo 3. And more importantly, the world was not in peril.

Shinji finished dressing himself and went to open the door, when he heard Yuki arguing with someone. That was strange, he thought that the Seito were at work. It could have been somebody else, but to tell the truth he wasn't expecting anybody else. Curious, he propped his head at the door to listen in.

"Listen, I'm telling you for the last time! Shinji Ikari doesn't live here, you crazy green haired freak!"

Shinji felt himself let out a gasp and stumbled away from the door, resting himself against the counter top. Yuki was talking to somebody who was searching for him. More importantly, that person supposedly had green hair. And from how his co worker was talking, they weren't going to leave.

Did this mean that he wasn't dreaming last night? Why did this keep happening to him?

Shinji glanced around the bathroom. There was no way out except for a small window that was way too small for him to squeeze through. He was trapped like a rat in a maze and the only way out was to leave the way he came in.

Shinji's thought about the Angel from last night and her cryptic warning. After all, she did say that she would be here the following morning for his answer. He shook his head. He would not believe that loud of crap not after he went through all the trouble of forgetting it all.

He gazed at his expression in the bathroom mirror, which was filled with panic. "God dammit all. All I want to do is live my life in peace! Can't it be that simple?" he said to himself.

"It never is that simple."

"Well, it should be!"

Shinji froze as the blood in his veins grew frigid. Slowly, almost with the efficiency of rusty machine, he turned around from the counter and looked behind him. There, sitting on his toilet was a little girl, no older then eight or nine, dressed in white robes. She had orange hair that reminded him of Unit 00's original color and more importantly, the same crimson red eyes that Sachiel and Rei both.

She smiled at him as she clutched a small stuff animal she had, a pink rabbit, to her chest. "Hi." she said in a happy child voice.

Shinji blinked. This was starting to get a little weird. After all, here he was, trying to convince himself that the weird things that he had experience the past twenty four hours hadn't happened. Now, he was standing in his bathroom with a little girl, who was sitting on his toilet and he had not a damn clue in the world how she got there or where she came from?

'Please tell me this is some fucked up dream I'm having. Or at least that I'm still drunk and hallucinating.'

"I'm afraid my friend, this is no dream and that you are quiet sober. This is far too real." the little girl replied to him.

He looked confused causing the girl to laugh like a child. "I'm sorry, you didn't know? We Celestials can read thoughts. By the way, my name is Sandalafon. I was the one you Lilluim called the 8th Angel. You know the one that was in the volcano?"

Shinji said nothing. He felt lost between fear and confusion, causing him to feel as if he had finally crossed the very thing line of sanity and insanity. Something that he was very convinced was so.

"Excuse me, but did you just say you were an Angel?"

The girl nodded cheerfully, sending his mind into over the limit and face faulting to the floor. Sure, enough he was going crazy. He had been stricken with some type of illness that brought about insanity and mental disillusion. He could see the headlines in the newspaper.

' The famous EVA pilot known as Shinji Ikari was not only found today, but was committed instantly to a hospital for the insane. The authorities report that he was raving hysterically about seeing Angels, which were apparently in human form. These angels included young women with green hair and a little girl who he met in the bathroom of his apartment. See more on page eight.'

Sandalafon shook her head. "You Lilluim are strange, strange beings. Is it so hard to believe that we actually do exist?"

It took him less then a second to ponder his answer. "Yes."

The young angel seemed to ignore him. "Although you are not as I expected, I must say that it is an honor to meet you at last. You've become quite the legend from where I come from."

"O...kay." Shinji said. Some how the idea of him being famous in heaven or where ever Angels came from was not very believable. After all, he was responsible for the destruction of 15 of them.

"However, I did not come to speak to you about how famous you are; instead I came to speak about something else." Sandolfon continued. "Do you know why I have come to speak to you?"

It was then when Shinji's mind returned back from insanity as the reality of the situation settled in. "You want me...to fight, don't you?"

She nodded causing him to sigh. "So, I guess then it wasn't a dream."

"No, I'm afraid not. As I said before, this is far too real. And the choice you are going to have to make right now will seriously affect the future."

Shinji looked away from her and turned back to the mirror in front of him. His expression still held panic, but had become underlined with the deeper sorrow he was feeling. That, along with the fear he knew all to well caused him to look like a middle aged man in his early forties then an 18 year old.

Shinji continued looking at the mirror. "Why does it have to be me though? I'm not all that great and powerful like you make me out to be. There has to be someone better then me."

"I can't answer that question."

His eyebrow twitched slightly in the reflection as he turned his head around to face her. "And why the hell not?"

"Because that is the question shouldn't be asking. Instead, why don't you ask why you shouldn't go back?"

He threw his arms up in frustration. "This is just wonderful! And you call yourself a servant of God."

"I am."

Shinji threw his arms down in frustration at the Angel's child like behavior and obvious statements. "Okay, then tell me this. Why should I go back? Better yet, tell me why I should even care or want to do such a thing."

"Why don't you try and tell me why you shouldn't?"

Shinji turned away with a sarcastic grunt. "Okay, then here. After everything I went through back then, what makes you think I want to do it again? Do you honestly think I would go back to those people, so they could use me again! I'm nothing to them! They never even cared!"

Shinji felt himself shake in anger as he closed and opened his hand subconsciously like he always did when he was mad. "I was never good enough for any of them, not one. They always picked at me faults, ignored me or called me a wimp. I bet they don't even miss me!

"Now, I finally have a home. A place where people at least like me. I have a life and a family, which was far better then anything they could ever give me. And now you're asking me to trade everything I care about for nothing, but the pain I've been trying to forget?

Shinji wiped his eyes angrily. "So, you can tell your kind to fuck off and leave me alone! I want nothing to do with your war or NERV or EVA for that matter! I paid my dues. I saved this goddamn world once and I refuse to do it again. I'm happy with my life now and I'm not going to throw it away for them. The world can kiss my ass for all I care."

"Are you done?" Sandalafon asked, no longer sounding childish, but impassive like all Angel's Shinji had known. The voice sent chills up Shinji's spine, but he held his ground.

Shinji felt his anger prickling. "Yes I am done! Now I want you to get the hell out of my house!"

Instead of showing any sign of angelic anger, the small Angel was still stoic. "If what you say is true, then you don't care about anyone at all, do you?"

"No I don't! I mean, yes, I-"

"So you want them, those you claim to care about, to die?"

Shinji opened his mouth to respond...and nothing came out. He couldn't think of a comeback, his mind standing still from that question.

"All you have to do is say yes...and I'll leave. We will no longer try to take you back there. However, in doing so, you will condemn everything you hold there to death. And you will have no choice, but to watch the world burn."

His mind screamed "Yes!", but still his mouth said nothing.

"I'm waiting." Sandalafon said.

Images flashed through his mind. Osaka. Yuki. The Seitos. People he knew from working at the restaurant or that he hung out with Yuki. All things he had come to hold dear in his life. .

Shinji then saw another image in his mind. It was Osaka, but it was not the Osaka he knew. There was nothing, except for flames and wrecked homes, with heavy smoke settling into the sun. He could hear the screams of people, his friends calling his name. They were dying, burning alive in the wreckage.

And in the background he could see a shadow like beings...demons. They were of different size and origin, made of shadow and sinew. The dark creatures… were murdering people. Men, women children, some of which he knew well or saw passing in the streets.

Shinji could hear their voices, screaming for help. The Seitos and Yuki were some of those voices.

Was this going to really happen? If he didn't go back... would they all die? Would this be the end? Even if he somehow survived all this coming chaos, could he wake up every day for the rest of his life and know that they were gone? That he could have done something to save them?

He looked at Sandalafon, who now had a grim expression that no normal child should ever have to show. "What I have shown you may come to pass or it may not, depending on the choice you make. It may not happen today, tomorrow ten years from now or perhaps never at all. However, this horror, the horror you have seen is what waits if you, the Lilluim race, fail. And if you fail, then your kind will be lost to all time and existence"

He closed his eyes and squeezed his hands again. His old mantra, something that he had forgotten so long ago, returning and echoing through his mind.

"You are out of time. Have you decided?"

He looked up at her, his face Solomon and calm. The words "I mustn't runaway" were still in his mind chanting loudly to give him the strength he would need to overcome what was soon to pass.

"I'll...do it."

"Are you sure? No one is forcing you? What made you decide against what you said earlier?"

He turned away from her and resting himself on the sink. "I guess...I just don't want to see them die, that's all."

Sandalafon stood up from the toilet and moved towards the door. "Then we must go. Gluttony soon approaches and the wraith of Lucifer shall soon rain down upon mankind."

"I wasn't finished speaking."

The little Angel glanced at him with a look of confusion. "What do you mean? You are going home, right?""

He looked at her with a venomous look. "Oh, I'll go, but I want you to agree to something first."

"And that would be?"

"After I fight this...Devil, tell your kind to find somebody else. I'm only doing this because there is no time left and as I said before, I don't want their deaths to be rested on my conscious. But the minute that this thing dies, I'm done. Understood?"

Sandalafon's face was still silent. "And what if I were to say that wasn't possible?"

"Then I'm not going anywhere. So you don't have much of a choice, do you little girl?"

Her face contorted to one of both amusement and slight anger. "I'll have you know Ikari, I am eons older then you. You should show your respect for your elders."

"Doesn't look like it to me." he replied sarcastically.

"That matters not. As for you request, I will bring it before my brethren, but I cannot say anything else. But truth be told, we cannot control your freewill. So what you do is your decision, not mine or anybody else. You may do as you wish."

"Very well. Let's go."

As this was happening, Yuki was having a terrific time with Akito's uninvited guest. Even after she told the green haired girl that no one by the name of Shinji Ikari lived here, she said that she was lying.

"I feel his presence here. Do not lie to me Lilluim."

After a while, she allowed her into the living room to wait while she called Mr. Seito. He said he would be here as soon as he could, but not to call the cops. Whys, she didn't know, but she promised and thus far complied with is request.

She had since been trying to figure out why this girl, who called herself Sacheil, would come here in search of Shinji Ikari. She knew the name and who wouldn't. It belonged to the legendary EVA pilot who defeated the most monsters during the war. He was a hero, a savior and quite the celebrity, but truth be told, no one had ever seen a picture of him. The only information about him was that he had brown hair and dark blue eyes just like Akito did and that he was MIA at the moment, rumored to have committed suicide.

She thought for a moment. Could Akito really be Shinji Ikari? Nah. That didn't make sense. The legendary war hero, the infamous slayer of Angels, a pathetic wimp hiding out in a dirty tourist town? Nah, couldn't be. There was no way Akito and Shinji were one and the same. Akito couldn't hurt a fly, much less pilot one of those giant monsters. Shinji Ikari was said to be the Anti Christ himself.

She heard a knock at the door and she got up to answer it. Mr. Seito was at the door, along with his wife Sakura Seito, an elder woman in her late forties that had the tall tail signs of gray running through her brown hair with green eyes similar to her own. They both had strangely grim expressions on their faces as if something bad was about to happen.

"Is she still here?" he asked.

She nodded and stepped aide to let her boss power walk into the room. She followed, along with his wife into the room were the mysterious freaky girl sat. She had her right crossed over her left and she seemed to be observing the situation with a hint of amusement.

"Who are you and who sent you?" her boss bellowed in a harsh tone.

Sachiel's face was stoic and calm, showing no sign of fear, as was her response. "My name is Sacheil and who sent me is not your concern."

"Oh really. And why can't you tell me?"

"As I stated before to this girl, I am will not discuss it. The only person I have come to see is Shinji Ikari. My business is with him, not you."

He slammed his hand down on the table. "Damn you! You're from NERV aren't you? You've just come back to collect your tool after you discarded it! You make me sick!"

Yuki's eyes widened in shock. 'What the hell is going on?'

Mrs. Seito stepped forward. "Why can't you monsters let Shinji be? He doesn't want to be your weapon anymore. Haven't you caused him enough pain?"

Yuki and Sacheil looked on as the older woman started to cry. "He's such a nice boy and he has a good heart, but that means nothing to you! You only care about him so that he can work for you. He told us everything you people did. Don't you have any shame? Don't you even care about his feelings?"

Mr. Seito drew his wife into an embrace as he continued to glare at the green haired visitor. "That boy has been like a son to us the past three years and although you could care less about him, we love him like he was our own. If you want him so badly, you have to go over our dead bodies to get him.

"That won't be... necessary."

They all turned to see Shinji Ikari standing outside of his bathroom. A little girl with orange hair and the same blood red eyes stood with him. While Yuki pondered how she got here, the young man approached Sacheil immediately causing her to stand up.

"So, you have decided to go." she asked.

He nodded. "Yes, but I have my conditions. Your friend here will tell you."

Sacheil looked a little angry at this. "And you think you can order a messenger of the all mighty creator around?"

He shook his head. "No, but ether way, I expect you to respect my wishes. Now, if you excuse me, I wish to speak with my friends before I go."

He turned away from her wand approached the other three humans in the room. He motioned for them to follow him which they did. After they closed the door Sandalafon turned to her and explained the situation.

Silence rang for a moment before Sacheil spoke again with a sigh. "It matters not. We have managed to get him to return to Tokyo. That is all we can ask of him for the moment."

"But...what of the prophecy?"

"That doesn't matter. Personally, I doubt what Zeruel and the others say. There is no way that this poor excuse of a being could possibly fulfill the prophecy."

"Even if the Seven believe him to be the one?"

She looked away. "I'll believe it when I say it with my own two eyes."

After closing the door, Shinji sat down on his bed. Yuki drew up a chair and sat in it while the Seitos stood in front of him. They said nothing for a few minutes. Mainly because Shinji didn't know what to tell them. Mr. Seito was the first to say something.

"So...you're finally going back?"

Shinji's looked down and away from them. "Yes...I am."

Mrs. Seito chose to speak. "We knew it was coming to tell you the truth. If not today, then surly tomorrow or a few years from now. We knew that you would have to go back for some reason. We tried to tell ourselves that you wouldn't have to. And we really want to keep you here, safe from harm but..."

She sniffled a little bit and wiped her eyes. "But we won't...we won't try and stop you. You're your own man Shinji. You have to make your own choices."

The older men of the group choose to speak in an attempt to keep things from getting too emotional. "We just want you to know that you can always consider this your home and if you ever want to come back, then all you have to do is knock on our door. We'll be right here waiting."

Shinji said nothing. He knew that they cared about him, just never with the love that they had just shown him. They were willing to fight for him and protect him from harm, even if it meant at the cost of their own lives. He had finally found what he wanted: a place that he could call home.

And now, he was going to abandon it again and return to his other home. Back to the people that never cared about him or even showed it. Back to where it all began.

Shinji finally looked up and smiled at them. "Thank you. Don't worry; I'm sure that I won't be gone for long."

Mrs. Seito walked over and drew him to an embrace. "Just be careful. And remember that there are people out there that care about you Shinji."

She released him and looked over at his co worker who was watching the scene unfolding before her with a sad, yet oddly happy expression on her face. Shinji turned to the two people who had taken him from off the streets and asked the unspoken question. They nodded and walked outside the room, closing the door behind them.

As soon as they left, Yuki spoke up flashing him a weak smile. "This was an interesting turn of events."

"Yeah really."

"So... then I guess what that girl said was true. You're him, aren't you?"

Shinji looked down and said nothing, but she could see him give a slight nod.

" Wow, it's just; I never would have guessed."

He turned his head so he didn't have to look at her. "I'm really sorry Yuki. I never meant to hurt you."

"So that's your big secret, eh?"

Shinji nodded. "Now you know why I could never be with anybody. All I ever did when I was a pilot was hurt the people I cared about or myself in the process. I don't want that to ever happen again. I don't want to lose anybody else."

"Then why are you going back? If those people hurt you before, why are going back to protect them?" she said with emotion that she was holding back.

He looked away before answering her. "Because I have too. There is no other way."

"Bullshit, there is. You don't have to go. You don't have to listen to anyone. You can ignore all of this and stay here. You can stay here with...us."

Shinji looked back at her for a second. He could see that she was on the verge of crying. Tears were starting to lightly appear on her pretty face, something that made his heart feel heavy with guilt. All these years, he was trying to protect people from the truth. Now, Shinji realized that he might have been hurting those same people.

Shinji drew the weeping girl into a hug. "I'm sorry Yuki, but I have to go."

"Then tell me why? Why are you doing this to yourself?"

Shinji could only say one thing as he held her tight. "I don't know. I really don't know."

There was silence for several minutes before she chose to answer him. "To tell you the truth, the girls and I knew there was something special about you. We knew that you had something within you that made us like you."

Shinji looked away. "The girls would only like me and fall for me if I told them who I really was." he said bitterly.

"And that's were your wrong."

He saw her stand up and walk over to him. She pointed directly at his chest, directly at his beating heart. He looked at her with a mild look of confusion as she explained what she meant.

"This is what makes you special. Your heart. Regardless to how you see refuse to see it, we all know that deep inside of here there is a great person. Not just me. Mr. and Mrs. Seito also see it and everybody who you have met here have seen it too. The only person who refuses to see it is you."

"I'm not all that great. It's the truth."

She wiped her eyes, chuckling lightly. "Only you would say something like that. But, rather you refuse to believe it, you have something great in here. And I mean that. Now, its time for you to start to realize that."

She reached under her neck and unclasped a necklace, a silver one that she always wore, but kept hidden. She withdrew it and put it in the palm of his hand. Attached to this necklace was a matching cross similar to the one that his former guardian use to wear. While it wasn't nearly as big, it seemed older and had gold etched into it.

"I want you to keep this. It belonged to my older sister. I never told you about her, but she died when I was ten. She gave this to me and told me before she died, that there you can do anything as long as you believe on the power that lies within. It's kind of corny now, but I still keep it and the motto."

Shinji looked at it for a second before he tried to give it back to her. "I can't take this from you."

She smiled before pushing back to him. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. You probably could use all the luck in the world right now. Besides, if you don't take it, I'll kick your ass and force you to wear it."

Looking at the necklace one last time and then at her, he chuckled slightly. "Thanks. I won't forget it." He said as he started to draw her back into a hug.

For a moment, the two locked eyes. There was some much that both of them could see that needed to be said, that wanted to be told. However, neither could manage to say it to one another. They just stared at one another in silence until Yuki moved in closer, inching her lips towards his own.

However, before she could make contact, Shinji looked away and from Yuki. "I better get going now."

The older girl simply stood there, struck still, not able to say another word or move. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel herself start to burst with feelings she never she thought had. And she was frightened on many levels. For herself and for the man that stood before her.

Finally, Yuki nodded slowly before following Shinji out into the living room.

The Seitos and the two angels were waiting for him, when Shinji emerged from his room. He walked over with Yuki to the Seitos to say goodbye to the people he considered family. The older woman was the first to embrace him once more.

"Be safe." she whispered as she tried to keep herself from crying again.

Shinji moved away from her. "I will."

Mr. Seito was next as he moved over to give him a handshake and a hug. "Don't let them intimate you Shinji. Be strong."

Shinji nodded slowly before walking over and hugging Yuki. "Remember what I said."

"I know. I won't forgot." he said, now trying hard not to cry again.

As hard as Shinji wanted to believe that he would see them again, he knew that he probably would not. Something was telling him inside of his heart that this was the last time he would see them. A creeping paranoia that stung at him, that this parting was permanent and once back in his former life, he would not be able to return to this one again.

Still, he shook it off and managed to will himself to walk away. He looked one last time at them and thought about saying goodbye. No. Goodbye sounded too permanent. So, he decided on something that would show he would be coming back.

"I'll see you later."

With that, he turned away letting the tears drain slowly on to his face as he approached the two Angels. "I'm ready."

Sacheil nodded as she placed her hand on his right should. Sandalafon reached over and gripped his adult hand with her little hand. Once ready, Sacheil addressed the three humans.

"You may want to close your eyes. This may get a little bright."

The three looked on confusion, still wondering what was going on. More importantly, they wondered how Shinji was getting out of here. Though they mentioned something several times, about serving a high power or being messengers from some creator, they still assumed they were from NERV.

It wasn't until the three departing beings started flashed in a huge light, that they got the hint. The looked a way as it grew bigger and brighter. The bright light continued for a few moments before it stopped. They turned to look at where Shinji and the two visitors once stood.

They were gone. It couldn't be put anymore simple then that. They all exchanged even more looks of confusion as to what was going on. None of them could comprehend what had just happened here.

A few minutes later, Yuki held her hand over her heart and closed her eyes. She prayed to God and hoped that Akito Harkawa, also known as Shinji Ikari, would be safe and that he would have the strength to face what was coming.

She felt a tear drain down her cheek. Even though he wouldn't admit it, she felt as though she would never see him again. Something in her heart told her this and from looking at the looks on the Seitos faces, she was right.

After a few moments, Mr. Seito, who wiped a tear from his eye. "Let's go back to the restaurant now."

They nodded and went to leave, when suddenly they heard a footstep in the small kitchen. Looking at each other, they slowly turned around and looked to the source of the sound.

"Who's there? Shinji?"

The footsteps continued as a mysterious figure cloaked in black came forth. He was cloaked from head to toe, with no sign of flesh evident. It was like he was a shadow of some type, a shapeless being in human form.

The being spoke with gleaming malice. "Hello. Can Shinji Ikari come out to play?"

When it felt as if the little trick that Sacheil had used had expired, Shinji opened his eyes and looked around at his surroundings. It was a road or highway of some sort. He had no idea where he was until he caught sight of a sign on.

Tokyo 3: 5 miles

He turned to look at Sacheil with a look of confusion. "Why are we outside of the city?"

Sacheil looked at him with a stoic expression. "We can take you no further. Normally, we can transport ourselves without being detected, but when we transport someone else, it requires more energy. We will be detected by your Lilluim science and our mission will be compromised

"And... what... does that... mean?" he stammered.

"You will have to walk from here." she replied.

Shinji nearly face faulted. "What? You mean that I have to walk five miles!"

Sandalafon gave him a sympathetic look. "We are truly sorry for this inconvenience. We hope you can forgive us."

"You could have let me catch a bus or something!" he exclaimed

"Enough. You must hurry. It is noon and Gluttony will be here by night fall." Sacheil replied

"Easy for you to say. You don't have to walk in this heat." he muttered.

The two Angels flashed a bright white, forcing Shinji to turn away. Once they were gone, he let out a frustrated sigh. "What the hell was I thinking when I agreed to this."

Turning around he started to head towards the city, which he could see in the distance. And with this, Shinji was able to come to one conclusion

Today was going to be a very long day.

Meanwhile, underneath the ocean, the first messenger of Lucifer, the Sin Gluttony swam towards the unsuspecting city. Ocean life of every kind swam out of the way in fright at the size of such a beast in seer fear of being eaten.

Gluttony grinned. Even the small stupid creatures of this world knew better then to stand in its way. Although Gluttony felt the urge to open it's great mouth and feast upon them, though it would do little to satisfy it's deep hunger. It needed something...bigger.

Its thoughts wondered to the city where the mother lie buried. Surely there was something there it could feast upon. Even though it was on a strict mission to destroy the gate and let loose it's master, that didn't mean it couldn't have fun now, could it?

It felt its soul burn in delight at all the entertaining stuff it would do. All of the screams of its victims. The carnage. The mayhem. The destruction. It made it giddy or excited as the puny mortals that inhabited this world would call it.

Encouraged and influenced to reach its goal, Gluttony sped up and moved faster towards the city. Soon it thought. Soon this world would lie in ruin and then there would be nothing standing the in the way of clamming the throne of the creator. The humans days were finally at an end and soon they, the true children of Lillith would be free. Soon a new age would arise where no weak creatures would thrive, where only darkness existed. Soon.


End file.
